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23  WEST  MAIN  STREfT 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  MStO 

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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  IMicroroproduction^  '  Institut  Canadian  de  microreprodiictions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notas/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


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D 


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□ 


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Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaur^  et/ou  pelliculie 


I      I    Cover  title  missing/ 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


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Ce  document  est  fiimd  au  taux  de  reduction  indiquA  ci-dessous. 

10X  14X  18X  22X 


26X 


30X 


J 


12X 


16X 


aox 


24X 


28X 


32X 


Th«  copy  film«d  h«r«  hat  b««n  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  ganarosity  of: 

Yoi'k  University 
Toronto 
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York  University 
Toronto 
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filmage. 

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empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — ^>  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  des  symbolee  suivants  apparaftra  sur  la 
darnlAre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  la  symbole  — ^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 


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different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  expoaura  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  aa  many  frames  aa 
required.  The  following  diagrama  illustrate  the 
method: 


Lea  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  Atre 
filmte  i  des  taux  de  rMuction  diff Arents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atra 
reproduit  en  un  seui  clichA,  11  est  film*  A  partir 
de  I'angle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  l>aa,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  nAcessaire.  Lea  diagrammes  suivants 
iiluatrent  la  mAthoda. 


1  2  3 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

ti*'"- 


'A' 


'^.  ';r7',4.'j:.  . 


itlMiWih^iwrii  iTuWMli'  83i«' 


HISTORY 


OJf  THE 


UNITED  STATES, 


FROM  TU£l& 


FIRST  SETTLEMENT  AS  COLONIES, 


TO  THE 


CLOSE  OF  THE  WAR  WITH  GREAT  BRITAIN". 

IN  1815. 


<'  Civitas,  inciedibile  memoratu  est,  adepts  libertate,  quantum  hrev: 
creverir." — Sallutt. 


^''EfV^YORK: 
CHARLES  WILEY,  3  WALL-STREET. 

1825. 
Hopkim  and  Morris,  Printert. 


*fc'S---*i»«X».t;, 


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.■''•*6rt*ti-»i-<>'.o'^« 


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I  : 


.*■      :v   :      V 


-«.•.« 


Southtrn  Distnct  o/Ntw-York,  tt. 

BE  IT  REMEMBERED,  That  on  the  22d  daj  of  August,  in  the  JIOlli 
year  or  the  independence  of  the  United  States  of  America,  Ghirlet  Wiley, 
of  the  said  District,  hath  deposited  in  this  office  the  title  of  a  Book  the  risnt 
whereof  he  clainu  as  proprietor,  in  the  words  following,  to  wit : 

History  of  the  United  States,  from  their  First  Settlement  ai  Oolonies,  to 
(he  Close  of  the  War  with  Great  Britato,  in  I8l5. 

"Civitas,  incredibiie  memo'ratu  est,  adepta  libertate,  quantum  hrevi  ere-' 
refit."— Sa//u*». 

Tn  conformity  to  (he  Act  of  Uie  Congress  of  the  United  8(3(6.4,  entitled 
"  An  Act  for  tne  encouragement  of  Learning,  by  securing  the  copies  of 
Maps,  Charts,  and  Books,  to  the  authors  and  proprietors  of  such  copies,  during 
the  time  therein  mentioned."  And  also  to  an  Act,  entitled  "  Aiv  Act,  8U|)> 
plementarv  to  an  Act,  entitled  an  Act  for  th«:  encouragement  of  Learning,  by 
securing  tne  copies  of  Maps,  Charts,  and  Books,  to  the  authors  and  nroprir* 
tors  of  such  copies,  during  the  times  therein  mentioned,  and  extending  (he 
benefits  tbereofto  the  arts  of  designiug,  engraving,  and  etching  histbric^i  and 
other  pfinlf." 

JAMES  DILL,  Cltrko/the  SQUthtrn  District  o/NnvYork. 


-f 
* 


CONTENTS. 


Page 

Introduction •  1- 

History  of  Virgraia 9 

Massachusetts • 23 

New-Hampshire 5& 

Connecticut..... 59 

Bhode  Island .67 

New-York * 69 

New-Jersey 87 

Delaware. 91. 

Pennsylvania 98. 

Maryland. 99 

North-Carolina ^ , lOSi 

South-Carolina 107 

Georgia IIH 

French  War  of  1756-63 119 

Hevohition 137 

Revolution 151 

Expedition  against  Canada. 173 

Campaign  of  1776 183 

Campaign  of  1777 195 

Campaign  of  1778 207 

Campaign  of  1779 213 

Campaign  of  1780 219 

Campaign  of  1781,  and  termination  of  the  War 229 

Adoption  of  Constitutioa,  and  Washington's  Administiation...  .243 
Mr.  Adams^l,  Mr.  Jefferson's,  and  part  of  Mr.  Madison's  Admin- 
istration— Declaration  oC  War 263 

Campaign  of  1812 281 

Campaign  of  1813. ..f 289 

Campaign  of  1814 — ConcUision  of  the  War 303 

Appendix 317, 


*  ^^.Ulili^-  ■■      f^-toSU-m^iixt-,  «!».. 


At  a  meeting  of  the  American  Acadeii^y  of  Language  and  Belief 
Lettret)  held  at  the  City-Hali  in  the  city  of  NewYork,  October  2Us 
1820,— Hon.  Brockholst  Livingston,  First  Vice-President,  in  the 
chair ;  Rev.  John  B.  Romeyn,  D.  D.  Clerk, — the  following  preamble 
and  resolution,  offered  by  W.  S.  Cardell,  Esq.  seconded  by  the  Rev. 
Doctor  Wainwright,  were  unanimously  adopted : 

As  the  proper  education  of  youth  is  in  al!  communities  closely  con- 
nected with  national  prosperity  and  honor;  and  as  it  is  paiticuhiry 
important  in  the  United  States,  that  the  rising  generation  should 
possess  a  correct  knowledge  of  their  owO'  country,  and  a  patriotic 
attachment  to  its  welfare ; — 

Resolvedf  that  a  premiun  of  not  less  than  four  hundred  dollars,  an/J 
a  gold  medal  worth  fifty  dollars,  be  given  to  the  author,  being  ai» 
American  citizen,  who  within  twoyears,  shall  produce  the  best  written 
history  of  the  United  States,  and  which,  with  such  history  shall  con- 
tain a  suitable  exposition  of  the  situation,  character,  and  interests/ 
absolute  and  relative,  of  the  American  Republic :  calculated  for  a  class* 
book  in  academies  and  schools.  This  work  is  to  be  examined  and 
approved  by  a  committee  of  the  institution,  in  reference  to  the  inter* 
est  of  its  matter,  the  justness  of  its  facts  and  principles,  the  purity, 
perspicuity,  and  degance  of  its  style,  and  its  adaptation  to  its  intended 
purpose. 

Bv  order  of  the  Academv, 

ALEX.  Mc  LEOD,  liec'g  Sec'ry. 

The  undersigned,  being  appointed  a  committee  with  full  powers  to  ex- 
amine the  several  works  submitted,  and  award  the  medal  and  premium 
in  pursuance  of  the  above  resolution,  having  perused  four  books  of- 
fered by  different  authors,  according  to  the  conditions  required,  have 
selected  one  as  being  the  best  of  the  four;  and  after  referring  it  to  its 
author  for  such  minor  corrections  as  might  render  it  more  acceptable 
to  the  public,  do  now  finally  adjudge  said  medal  and  premium  to  the 
writer  of  the  work  recently  printed,  entitled, 

"A  History  of  the  United  States,  from  their  first 
Settlement  as  Colonies,  to  the  close  of  the  War  with 
Great  Britain,  in  1815. 

"Civitas,  lucre Jibile  meiuorstu  est,  aJepta libei tate,  quantum  brevi creveriu"— 5a//ufi.'* 

Wm.  p.  Van  Ness, 

Alexr.  Mc  LeoD;  )>  Committee. 

J, \coB  Morton, 


>•> 


HISTORY 


OF  THE 


UNITED  STATES. 


.•#«*• 


INTRODUCTION. 


ry. 


The  continent  of  America  was  probably  unknown  to  the 
ancients.  If  once  known,  as  some  have  supposed,  to  the 
Carthaginians,  the  Scandinavians,  and  the  Welsh,  edi 
knowledge  of  it  was  afterwards  lost.  The  discovery  of  this 
extensive  region,  constituting  nearly  one  half  of  the  hab- 
itable globe,  was  the  accidental  result  of  the  attempts,  made 
in  the  fifteenth  century,  to  find  a  passage  by  sea  from  the 
ports  of  £urope  to  the  East  Indies,  whose  precious  com- 
modities were  then  transported,  over  land,  by  a  long,  dan- 
gerous, and  expensive  route. 

This  passage  was  universally  sought  by  sailinji  south, 
iilongthe  western  coasts  of  Europe  and  Africa,  in  the  hope 
of  finding  the  termination  of  the  continent,  when  ihe  In- 
dies, it  was  supposed,  might  be  attained  by  taking  at  first  an 
easterly  and  then  a  northerly  course.  The  discovery  of 
the  Cape  bf  Good  Hope,  in  1487,  encouraged  expectation, 
and  gave  increased  activity  to  the  spirit  of  adventure. 

Among  the  navigators  of  that  age,  Christopher  Colum* 
bus,  a  native  of  the  republic  of  Genoa,  was  distinguished 
for  experience  and  skill  in  his  profession,  for  extensive 
knowledge,  and  for  a  bold  and  original  genius.  The  shape 
of  the  earth,  then  known  to  be  round,  and  the  fact  that 
pieces  of  carved  wood,  a  canoe,  and  two  human  bodies,  oC 
«  complexion  different  from  that  of  Europeans,  had  beeii 

1 


•ttm" 


i  '■ 


fl  INTAOBUGTION. 

driven,  by  lone  westerly  winds,  upon  the  shores  tfislrnds 
contiguous  to  Europe,  suggested  to  his  observing  mind  the 
project  of  seeking  the  East  Indies  by  sailing  directly  westr 

Unable  to  defray  the  eipenses  of  an  eipedition,  he 
sought  first  the  assistance  of  bis  native  city.  His  country- 
men, accustomed  only  to  cruising,  in  frail  vessels,  along  the 
shores  of  the  continent,  treated  the  project  as  chimerical^ 
and  declined  furnishing  aid. 

A  pressing  application  to  the  king  of  Portugal,  in  whose 
dominions  he  had  resided,  met  likewise  with  ridicule  aud 
rejection.  Persevering  in  his  purpose,  he  then  sent  his 
brother,  Bartholomew,  to  England,  to  apply  to  Henry  VII. 
and  went  himself  to  Spain,  which  was  then  governed  by 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  from  whom  he  solicited  assistance. 

For  a  long  time  he  solicited  in  vain.  At  length  the  queen, 
persuaded  by  his  representations',  became  his  friend  and 
patron.  By  her  direction,  three  small  vessels  were  fitted 
out,  and  he  was  authorized  to  sail  with  these  upon  his  pro- 
jected voyage  of  discovery.  On  the  third  of  August,  1492, 
he  departed  from  Palos,  in  Spain,  directing  his  course  to* 
wards  the  Canary  islands. 

He  stopped  there  to  refit,  and  on  the  sixth  of  September 
boldly  adventured  into  seas  which  no  vessel  had  yet  enter- 
ed, with  no  chart  to  direct  him,  no  guide  bot  his  compass, 
and  without  any  knowledge  of  the  tides  or  currents  which 
might  interrupt  his  course.  He  moved  rapidly  before  the 
trade  wind,  which  blows  invariably  from  the  east  to  the 
west  between  the  tropics,  judiciously  concealing  from  his 
ignorant  and  timid  crews  the  progress  he  made,  lest  they 
might  be  alarmed  at  the  speed  with  which  they  receded 
from  home. 

About  the  fourteenth  of  September,  he  was  distant  nearly 
sis  hundred  miles  from  the  most  westerly  of  the  Canaries, 
and  here  the  magnetic  needle  was  observed  to  vary  from 
Hs  direction  to  the  polar  star  and  incline  towards  the  west ; 
an  appearance  which,  although  now  familiar,  had  never  be- 
ibre  been  observed. 

Columbus  and  his  companions  were  alarmed.  They  were 
finr  from  land,  and  far  from  the  tracks  of  other  navigators 
AU  before  and  around  them  was  unknown,  and  their  only 
0iide  seemed  to  be  no  longer  entitled  to  their  confidence. 
But  allhough  alarmed,  Colombm  lost  not  his  presence  of 


>  r 


INTRODUCTION. 


itOTS 

only 
enc€. 
ce  of 


ttiind.  He  assigned  a  reason  for  the  variation,  which, 
without  satisfying  himself,  silenced  the  marmurs  of  hift 
companions. 

Bat  the  interval  of  quiet  and  subordination  was  short. 
Disaffection  soon  reappeared  among  the  ignorant  and  wa« 
vering,  and,  gradually  spreading,  at  length  pervaded  the 
whole  squadron.  The  men  blamed  their  sovereign  for 
listening  to  the  schemes  of  a  dreaming  adventurer.  The 
indications  of  land  had  all  proved  fallacious.  They  would 
be  amused  and  deceived  no  longer.  They  agreed  that  Co- 
lumbus should  be  forced  to  relinquish  an  undertaking  which 
iieemed  to  promise  nothing  but  dustniction  ;  and  some  of 
the  more  daring  talked  of  throvr  ing  him  into  the  sea,  as  a 
visionary  projector,  whose  death  would  cause  no  regret  and 
produce  no  inquiry. 

Amidst  these  difl^culties,  Columbus  displayed  those  traits 
of  character  which  proved  the  greatness  of  his  mind,  and 
his  peculiar  fitness  for  the  arduous  duties  of  his  station. 
He  appeared  with  a  steady  and  cheerful  countenance,  as  if 
satisfied  with  what  he  had  done.  Sometimes  he  soothed 
his  companions  by  holding  out  to  them  a  prospect  of  riches 
and  of  tame,  and  by  offering  a  gratuity  to  him  who  should 
first  discover  land.  Sometimes  he  assumed  a  tone  of  aq- 
thority,  threatening  them  with  the  vengeance  of  their  sove- 
reign, and  everlasting  infamy,  should  they  compel  him  to 
abandon  the  undertaking. 

These  encouragements  and  threats  prevented  open  and 
forcible  resistance  to  his  authority.  Meanwhile  the  squad- 
ron proceeded  onward  ;  the  indications  of  land  had  beconte 
frequent,  and  convinced  him  that  it  could  not  be  far  distant 
But  his  crew  were  unconvinced,  and  their  discontent  in- 
creased. Assembling  tumultuously  on  deck,  they  demand- 
ted  to  be  conducted  back  to  Spain.  As  a  last  expedient,  he 
proposed  that  they  should  continue  on  their  course  three 
days  longer,  eid  if,  in  that  time,  land  should  not  be  discover- 
ed, he-  would  then  comply  with  their  demand. 

They  consented.  Before  the  time  expired,  Columbus, 
on  the  11th  of  October,  at  midnight,  saw  a  light  glimmer- 
ing at  a  distance.  "  A  light !  a  light!"  was  the  joyful  ex- 
clamation, which  instantly  resounded  through  the  squadron. 
On  the  approach  of  morning,  all  hands  stood  gazing  intently 
in  the  direction  where  land,  it  was  expected,  would  be  dis- 
covered. 


■MMIK 


f 


4  INTftODUCTIOfr. 

SooD,  on  board  the  Pinta,  the  most  forward  f  ensel,  wov 
heard  the  cry  of  "  Land  !  land  I"  which  waa  repeated, 
irith  almost  frantic  delight,  by  the  crews  of  the  other  ves* 
lels.  Passing  from  one  eitreme  to  the  other,  they,  who  a 
few  days  before  had  reviled  and  insulted  their  commander, 
DOW  regarded  him  as  one  whom  the  Deity  had  endowed 
with  knowledge  and  penetration  aboye  the  common  lot  oi* 
mortals. 

At  sunrise,  Columbus,  in  a  rich  and  splendid  dress,  land- 
ed, and,  with  a  drawn  sword  in  his  hano,  and  displaying  the 
royal  standard,  took  possession  of  the  island  for  the  crown 
of  Spain,  all  his  followers  kneeling  on  the  shore  and  kiss- 
ing the  ground  with  tears  of  joy.  The  natives  who  had  as- 
sembled in  great  numbers  on  the  first  appearance  of  the 
ships,  stood  around  the  Spaniards,  gazing  in  speechless  as^ 
tonishment. 

*<  The  Europeans  were  hardly  less  amazed  at  the  scene 
before  them.  £very  herb,  and  shrub,  and  tree  was  differ- 
ent from  those  which  flourished  in  Europe.  The  inhabit- 
ants appeared  in  the  simple  innocence  of  nature,  entirely 
naked.  Their  black  hair,  long  and  uncurled,  floated  upon 
their  shoulders  or  was  bound  in  tresses  around  their  heads. 
Though  not  tall,  they  were  well  shaped  and  active.  They 
were  shy  at  flrst,  through  fear,  but  soon  became  familiar 
with  the  Spaniards  ;  from  whom,  with  transports  of  joy, 
they  received  various  trinkets,  for  which  in  return  they 
gave  such  provisions  as  they  had,  and  some  cotton  yarn, 
the  only  commodity  of  value  they  could  produce." 

To  this  island  Columbus  gave  the  name  of  San  Salvador. 
The  natives  called  it  Guanahani,  and  by  that  name  it  is  now 
known.  It  is  one  of  the  Bahama  isles,  and  is  above  three 
thousand  miles  from  Gomera,  the  most  western  of  the  Ca- 
naries. From  the  poverty  and  ignorance  of  the  inhabit- 
ants, Columbus  was  convinced  that  he  had  not  yet  arrived 
at  the  rich  country  which  was  the  object  of  his  search. 
Leaving  Guanahani,  he  discovered  and  visited  several  oth- 
er islands,  and  at  length  arrived  at  one  called  Hayti,  by  the 
natives,  and  by  him,  Hispaniola.  Here  he  remained  a  few 
weeks,  and  then  returned  to  Spain. 

The  news  of  his  wonderful  discovery  filled  the  kingdom 
with  astonishment  and  joy.  His  reception  at  court  was  ac- 
companied by  flattering  and  splendid  ceremonies  ordained 
for  the  occasion ;    and  he  was  honored  by  many  proofs  oK 


tNTRODVCTIOW. 


royil  f«f  or.  He  made  three  sutMequent  voyagei ,  and,  ia 
1 498,  difcovered  the  continent  of  America,  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Oronoco,  ariver  of  the  third  or  fourth  magnitude  in  the 
New  World,  but  farsurpasfinp  the  largest  in  the  old. 

The  honor,  however,  of  hrst  discovering  the  continent, 
must,  without  diminishing  the  merit  of  Columbus,  be  gi? en 
to  John  Cabot  and  his  son  Sebastian.  Thev  were  Vene- 
tians by  birth,  but,  soon  aAer  the  result  of  the  first  vovage 
of  Columbus  was  known,  were  sent,  by  the  king  of  England, 
on  an  expedition  of  discovery,  in  the  same  direction.  In 
June,  1497,  they  arrived  at  the  island  of  Newfoundland,  in 
North  America,  and,  proceeding  westward,  soon  after 
reached  the  continent.  It  being  their  object  also  to  find  a 
direct  passage  to  the  East  Indies,  they  first  sailed  north- 
wardly in  search  oi  it,  as  far  as  the  67th  degree  of  letitude ; 
then,  returning,  cruised  along  the  coaat  to  East  Florida  ; 
and  thence  sailed  to  England  without  having  made  any  set- 
tlement. Upon  the  discoveries  made  in  this  voyage,  the 
English  founded  their  claim  to  the  eastern  portion  of  North 
America. 

In  1499,  Alonzo  de  Ojeda,  a  companion  of  Columbus  in 
his  first  expedition,  sailing  under  the  patronage  of  several 
Portuguese  merchants,  discovered  the  continent  at  Paria, 
in  the  fifth  degree  of  north  latitude.  Americus  Vespucius, 
a  Florentine  gentleman  who  accompanied  him,  published, 
on  his  return,  an  account  of  the  voyage  and  a  description  oj' 
the  country  which  th^y  had  visited  ;  and  from  him  it  de- 
rives the  name  it  bears. 

In  1304,  several  adventurous  navigators,  from  different 
parts  of  France,  came,  in  small  vessels,  to  fish  on  the  banks 
of  Newfoundland.  In  1534,  John  Terrazzano,  a  Floren- 
tine, in  the  employment  of  the  king  of  France,  sailed  along 
the  coast  of  America,  from  Florida  to  the  90th  degree  of 
north  latitude.  He  is  supposed  to  have  entered  the  harbor 
of  New  York.  He  made,  the  next  year,  another  voyage, 
from  which  he  never  returned,  nor  is  it  known  by  what  dis- 
aster he  perished. 

During  the  next  forty  years,  frequent  voyages  #erc 
made  to  the  coast  of  North  America.  Of  some,  the  e^ect 
was  fishing;  of  others,  trade  with  the  natives.  In  1640, 
the  French  made  an  attempt  to  plant  a  colony  in  IPanada^ 
which  was  unsuccessful. 

The  religious  wats  which  afflicted  France  in  the  six 

1* 


■*aiii  liiiiiliMliiliin  iiiitfc.^-^.-^^ . 


-  «hilMNbw:dMiM-q«*d ' 


0  i  INTRODUCTIOSr. 

teenth  century,  induced  that  illustrious  statesman,  Jasper 
Coligni,  the  head  of  the  Protestant  sect,  to  project,  in  1502, 
a  settlement  in  America,  to  which  his  brethren  might  re- 
lire  from  the  persecution  of  the  Catholics.  Fitting  out  two 
ships,  he  sent  them  thither  under  the  command  of  John 
Ribaut,  who  landed  at  a  place  supposed  to  be  within  the 
limits  of  South  CaroHna,  built  a  fort,  lefl  a  part  of  his  men, 
and  returned  to  France. 

The  men  who  were  left,  soon  after  mutinied,  killed  their 
commander,  built  and  equipped  a  vessel  and  put  to  sear 
Having  been  out  several  weeks  and  consumed  all  their  pro- 
visions, one  of  their  number,  who  consented  to  be  made  a 
victim  to  save  his  comrades,  was  killed  and  eaten.  A  i^w 
days  afterwards,  they  were  taken  up  by  an  English  vessel 
and  carried  to  England. 

This,  was  the  first  attempt  to  plant  a  colony  within  the 
limits  of  the  United  States  ;  and  it  is  worthy  of  remark,  that 
to  secure  an  asylum  from  religious  persecution  was  the  ob- 
ject in  view.  Coligni  afterwards  sent  a  party  to  Florida, 
who  were  treacherously  massacred  by  the  Spaniards. 

In  1583,  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert,  having  received  from 
queen  Elizabeth  a  grant  of  such  "  remote,  heathen,  and 
barbarous  lands'*  as  he  might  discover  and  occupy,  fitted 
out  a  squadron  of  five  ships,  and  sailed  for  America.  On 
arriving  before  St.  John,  in  Newfoundland,  he  found  thirty 
six  vessels  fishing  in  the  harbor.  He  landed  and  took  pos- 
session of  the  country  in  the  name  of  his  sovereign.  On 
his  return  to  England,  he  suffered  shipwreck  and  perished. 

The  next  year.  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  distinguished  in  the ' 
history  of  England  as  a  gallant  knight  and  as  the  favorite  of 
the  queen,  obtained  a  renewal  of  the  patent  granted  to  Sir 
Humphrey,  who  was  his  half  brother,  and  despatched  to 
America  two  ships  commanded  by  captains  Amidas  and 
Bariow.  They  first  landed  on  an  island  in  the  inlet  to  Pamp- 
lico  sound,  then  proceeded  to  the  isle  of  Roanoke  at  the 
mouth  of  Albermarle  sound,  in  North  Carolina,  and  at  both 
places  were  treated  with  great  respect  by  the  natives. 

living  freighted  their  ships  with  furs,  sassafras,  and  ce- 
dar^hey  returned  to  England,  where  they  published  mar- 
vellous accounts  of  the  beauty  of  the  country,  the  fertility 
of  the^il,  the  mildness  of  the  climate,  and  the  innocence 
or  the  natives.  The  queen  was  so  charmed  with  the  de^ 
scriptioQ  that,  as  a  memorial  that  the  country  had  been  dis- 


INTR0DVCT10i!r. 


covered  during  the  reigo  of  a  virgin  queen,  she  called  it 
Virginia. 

The  next  year,  Raleigh  sent  from  Ensland  a  fleet  of 
seven  vessels,  commanded  by  Sir  Richard  Grenvilie,  and 
carrying  upwards  of  one  hundred  persons,  destined  to 
begin  a  settlement.  They  were  left  under  Ralph  Lane, 
on  Roanoke  island.  The  success  of  the  Spaniards  in  find- 
ing  gold  in  South  America,  led  these  advfsnturers  to  em< 
ploy  their  time  in  a  fruitless  search  for  it  here.  In  1586, 
they  were  visited  by  Sir  Francis  Drake,  who,  at  their  re* 
quest,  conveyed  them  back  to  England.  Lane  carrying 
home  a  quantity  of  tobacco,  the  Indian  custom  of  smoking 
it  was^  adopted  by  Raleigh,  a  man  of  gayety  and  fashion ^ 
and  introduced  at  court. 

Soon  after  Drake  departed,  Grenvilie  again  arrived  with 
provisions  for  the  settlement.  Finding  it  abandoned,  he 
left  fifteen  men  to  keep  possession  of  the  country.  In 
1537,  three  other  ships  were  sent  to  the  same  place,  but 
the  men  who  had  been  left  could  not  be  found,  having 
probably  been  murdered  by  the  savages.  After  remaining 
a  kw  weeks  on  the  coast,  the  ships  returned  to  England, 
leaving  one  hundred  and  seventeen  men  on  the  island. 
War  then  existing  between  England  and  Spain,  two  years 
elapsed  before  the  coast  was  again  visited.  In  that  period 
the  whole  number  perished ;  but  ih  what  manner  has  nev- 
er been  ascertained.  Thus  ended  the  exertions  of  Ra> 
leigh  to  plant  a  colony  in  America. 

These  successive  misfortunes  withdrew  for  several  years 
the  attention  of  the  English  from  these  distant  regions.  In 
1602,  Dartholomew  Gosnold  made  a  voyage  to  America. 
Instead  of  taking  the  circuitous,  but  usual  route,  by  the 
West  India  islands,  he  steered  directly  west  from  England, 
shortening  the  voyage  at  least  one  third,  and  arrived,  in 
May,  on  the  coast  of  Massachusetts.  He  discovered  a  head 
land,  and  taking  a  great  quantity  of  codfish  near  it,  called  it 
Cape  Cod .  Proceeding  southwardly,  he  passed  Gay  Head, 
entered  Buzzard's  bay,  and  upon  an  island  within  it  erect- 
ed a  small  fort,  the  ruins  o(  which  were  visible  so  late  as 
1797.  After  trading  a  while  with  the  Indians  he  returned 
home. 

The  report  made  by  Gosnold  revived  the  spirit  of  adven- 
ture. In  1603  and  1605,  two  voyages  were  made  in  the 
same  direction,  and  Penobscot  bay,  Massachusetts  bay  and 


.m^ 


mmm 


*i*^».-«tt«*<  .•  -  Adh**a««i!«e«*f- 


8 


INTRODUCTION. 


the  rivers  between  them,  were  discovered.  The  accouots 
given  by  the  last  navigators  confirmed  the  report  of  Gos- 
Dold,  and  led  to  a  more  extensive  scheme  of  colonization 
than  had  yet  been  attempted. 

Of  this  scheme  Mr.  Richard  Hakluyt  was  the  most  ac- 
tive promoter.  By  his  persuasion  an  association  of  gentle- 
men, in  different  parts  of  the  kingdom,  was  formed  for  the 
purpose  of  sending  colonies  to  America.  Upon  their  appli- 
cation to  king  James,  he,  by  letters  patent,  dated  in  1606, 
divided  the  country  of  Virginia,  then  considered  as  extend- 
ing from  the  southern  boundary  of  North  Carolina  to  the 
northern  boundary  of  Maine,  into  two  districts,  and  consti- 
tuted two  companies  for  planting  colonies  within  them. 

The  southern  district  he  granted  to  Sir  Thomas  Gates 
and  his  associates,  chiefly  resident  in  London,  and  there- 
fore styled  the  London  company.  The  northern  district 
he  granted  to  Thomas  Hanhan  and  his  associates,  who 
were  styled  the  Plymouth  company.  The  two  districts 
were  called  South  and  North  Virginia.  The  members  of 
these  companies  were  principally  merchants ;  their  objects 
were  the  extension  of  commerce  and  the  discovery  of 
mines  of  the  precious  metals,  which  were  supposed  to 
abound  in  North  as  well  as  in  South  America. 

For  the  supreme  government  of  the  colonies,  a  grand 
council  was  instituted,  the  members  of  which  were  to  re- 
side in  England,  and  to  be  appointed  by  the  king.  The 
subordinate  jurisdiction  was  committed  to  a  coui^il  in  each 
colony,  the  members  of  which  were  to  be  appointed  by  the 
grand  council  in  England,  and  to  begovtrnod  by  itjLinstruc- 
tions.  To  the  emigrants  and  their  descendants  were  se- 
cured the  enjoyment  of  all  the  rights  of  denizens  or  citi- 
zens, in  the  same  manner  and  to  the  same  extent  as  if  they 
had  remained  or  been  born  in  England, 

Before  the  date,  however,  of  these  letters  patent,  the 
king  of  France  granted  to  the  Sieur  De  Monts  all  the  terri- 
tory from  the  40th  to  the  46th  degree  of  north  latitude,  or 
from  New  Jersey  to  Nova  Scotia,  then  called  Acadie.  By 
virtue  of  tUjs  grant  a  settlement  was  made  in  1604,  on  th: 
south  eastern  side  of  the  bay  of  Fundy,  and  called  Port 
Royal.  In  1608,  Samuel  Champlain,  the  agent  of  De 
Monts,  laid  the  foundation  of  Q,nebeo,  the  capital  of  Canada. 
From  these  possessions  of  the  French,  the  colonies  «f  New 
England  and  New  York  were,  0)r  more  than  a  century,  fre- 
quently and  cruelly  adnoyed. 


CHAPTER  1 


HISTORY  OF  VIRGINIA- 


'  The  London  company,  soon  after  its  incorporation  in 
1606,  despatched  to  America  three  ships,  having  on  board 
one  hundred  and  five  persons  destined  to  begin  a  settlement 
in  South  Virginia.  Christopher  Newport  commanded  the 
squadron.  He  was  accompanied  by  captain  Gosnold  and 
other  distinguished  individuals,  some  allured  by  curiosity 
and  some  by  the  prospect  of  gain,  to  visit  a  country  said  to 
be  inhabited  by  a  new  race  of  beings,  and  to  abound  in  sil- 
ver and  gold. 

A  sealed  box  was  delivered  to  Newport,  with  directions 
that  it  should  not  be  opened  until  twenty-four  hours  after 
the  emigrants  had  landed  in  America.  During  the  voyage, 
violent  dissentions  arose  among  the  principal  personages  on 
board  the  squadron.  Of  most  of  them,  John  Smith,  one  of 
the  adventurers,  incurred  the  distrust  and  hatred.  His  su- 
perior talents,  and  the  fame  he  had  acquired  by  his  ex- 
ploits in  war,  excited  their  envy,  and  probably  caused  him 
to  claim  for  himself  greater  deference  than  they  were 
willing  or  bound  to  yield. 

In  his  youth,  he  had  been  a  merchant's  apprentice.  At 
the  age  of  fifteen,  he  quitted  his  master  and  travelled  in 
France,  the  Netherlands,  Egypt,  and  Germany.  Having 
joined  the  army  of  the  e  nperor  of  Austria,  who  was  then 
at  war  with  the  Turks,  he  received,  as  a  reward  for  a  suc- 
cessful stratagem,  the  command  of  a  troop  of  horse. 

In  three  personal  combats  with  Turkish  champions,  he 
came  off  victorious,  at  each  time  killing  his  adversary.  In 
a  battle  which  subsequently  took  place,  he  was  wounded 
and  taken  prisoner.  After  his  recovery  he  was  sent  as  a 
slave  to  Constantinople.  He  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  a 
cruel  master  ;  but  his  mistress,  captivated  by  his  fine  ap- 
pearance and  heroic  character,  and  commiserating  his  fate, 
s&nt  him,  in  the  absence  of  her  husband,  to  her  brother^ 


■*0*^^mtmmmmm^ 


■*'**-*"<»«**■*'  '■M^tm.mmt'.'m., 


10 


VtHGlNtA. 


-^* 


who  dwelt  near  the  sea  of  Asoph.  He,  disregarding  her 
directions,  assigned  to  Smith  degrading  and  laborious  tasks, 
and  beat  him  without  mercy  whenever  he  failed  to  perform 
them. 

Seizing  a  favorable  opportunity,  he  killed  his  new  master 
and  fled  into  Russia.  After  visiting  Germany,  France, 
Spain,  and  Morocco,  he  returned  to  England,  became  ac- 
quainted with  Gosnold,  and  was  easily  persuaded  to  em- 
bark in  an  expedition  to  a  country  he  had  not  yet  visited, 
in  search  of  new  scenes  and  new  adventures.  While  yet  at 
sea,  he  was  accused  of  an  intention  to  murder  the  council, 
usurp  the  government,  and  make  himself  king  of  Virginia  ; 
and  upon  this  absurd  accusation  was  put  in  confinement. 

The  place  of  their  destination  wa^  the  disastrous  position 
at  Roanoke.  A  storm  fortunately  drove  them  to  the  mouth 
of  Chesapeake  bay,  which  they  entered  on  the  26th  of 
April,  1607.  Discovering  a  large  and  beautiful  river,  they 
gave  it  the  name  of  James  River,  ascended  it,  and. on  its 
banks  had  several  interviews  with  the  natives. 

In  one  of  these  a  chief  came  forward,  holding  in  one  hand 
his  bow  and  arrows,  in  the  other  a  pipe  of  tobacco,  and  de- 
r^anded  the  cause  of  their  coming;.  They  made  signs  of 
peace,  and  were  received  as  friends.  Paspiha,  another 
chief,  when  informed  of  their  wish  to  settle  in  the  country, 
offered  them  as  much  land  as  they  wanted,  and  sent  them  a 
deer  for  their  entertainment. 

On  the  13th  of  May,  they  debarked  at  a  place  which 
they  called  Jamestown.  On  opening  the  sealed  box,  it  was 
found  to  contain  the  names  of  the  council  and  instructions 
for  their  guidance.  -In  the  list  were  the  names  of  Gosnold, 
Smith,  Wingfield,  and  Newport.  Wingfield  was  elected 
president,  and  a  vote  was  passed  excluding  Smith  from  his 
seat  at  the  board.  He  was,  however,  released  from  con- 
finement. 

The  idiole  country  was  then  a  wilderness,  in  which  a 
few  Indians  roamed  in  pursuit  of  their  enemies,  or  of  wild 
beasts  for  food.  In  color  they  were  darker  than  the  Eu- 
ropean, but  not  so  black  as  the  negro.  They  possessed  all 
the  vices  and  virtues  of  the  savage  state  ;  were  cunning  in 
«tratagem,  ferocious  in  battle,  cruel  to  their  conquered  en- 
emies, kind  and  hospitable  to  their  friends.  They  had  no 
f^rUten  language  }  they  were  unacquainted  with  the  use  of 


viaoiffiA. 


n 


iron  and  the  other  metals ;  their  weapons  of  war  were  a  how 
and  arrows,  a  stone  hatchet,  which  they  called  a  tomahawk, 
and  a  club.  They  lived  principally  by  hunting,  but  some- 
times cultivated  small  patches  of  Indian  corn. 

From  such  neighbors  the  emigrants  could  eipect  but  lit- 
tle aid  or  comfort.  Yet  they  took  no  care  to  provide  for 
their  future  subsistence  or  preservation.  They  planted 
nothing  the  first  year.  The  provisions  brought  from  Eng- 
land were  soon  consumed.  In  four  months,  famine  and  the 
diseases  of  a  hot  and  damp  climate  swept  away  fifty  of  their 
number.  . 

These  dreadful  distresses  led  them  to  reflect  upon  their 
situation  and  conduct.  Having  become  sensible  of  their  in- 
justice to  Smith,  they,  at  his  request,  had  granted  him  a 
trial,  which  resulted  in  an  honorable  acquittal.  His  per- 
sonal talents  and  activity  now  enforced,  in  adversity,  the 
same  regard  and  deference  which,  in  prosperous  times,  arc 
yielded  only  to  vested  authority  and  official  station. 

By  his  advice,  a  fort  was  erected,  to  protect  them  from 
the  attacks  of  the  Indians.  To  procure  provisions  and  ex- 
plore the  country,  he  made  frequent  and  distant  excursions 
into  the  wilderness.  In  one  of  these,  he  seized  an  Indian 
idol,  made  with  skins  stuffed  with  moss,  for  the  redemption 
of  which  as  much  corn  was  brought  him  as  he  required. 
Sometimes  he  procured  supplies  by  caresses,  sometimes  by 
purchase,  and  when  these  means  failed  of  success,  he  scru- 
pled not  to  resort  to  stratagem  and  violence. 

But  in  the  midst  of  his  activity  and  usefulness,  he  was. 
while  exploring  the  source  of  the  river  Chickahominy,  sur- 
prised and  attacked  by  a  party  of  Indians.  He  defended 
himself  bravely  until  his  companions  were  killed,  when  he 
turned  to  flee.  Running  at  hazard,  he  sunk  to  his  neck  in 
a  swamp  and  was  taken  prisoner. 

The  exulting  savages  conducted  him  in  triumph  through 
several  towns  to  their  king,  Powhatan.  At  the  end  of  six 
weeks,  their  chiefs  assembled  to  deliberate  on  his  fate. 
They  decided  that  he  should  die.  He  was  led  forth  to  exe- 
cution ;  his  head  was  placed  upon  a  stone,  and  an  Indian 
stood  near  with  a  club,  the  instrument  of  death.  At  this 
instant  Pocahontas,  the  young  and  favorite  daughter  of  the 
king,  appeared,  and  rushing  between  the  executioner  and 
the  prisoner,  folded  his  head  in  her  arms  and  entreated 


m 


#■ 


^*.> 


m^HMmm-^^  "MWftMMHMM^Nc . 


13 


VIRGINIA. 


i  * 


h 


her  father  to  spare  his  life.  Powhatan  relented  ^  directed 
Smith  to  he  conducted  to  his  wigwam  or  hut,  and  soon  after- 
wards sent  him,  escorted  by  twelve  guides,  to  Jamestown. 

On  his  arrival  there,  he  found  the  number  of  settlers  re- 
duced to  thirty  eight,  and  most  of  these  had  determined  to 
abandon  the  country.  By  persuasions  and  threats,  he  in- 
duced a  majority  to  relinquish  their  design.  The  remain- 
der, more  resolute,  went  on  board  a  small  vessel  in  the 
river.  Against  these  he  instantly  directed  the  guns  of  the 
fort,  when,  to  avoid  the  danger  of  being  sunk,  they  hasten- 
ed back  to  their  companions. 

Sustaining  now  a  high  reputation  among  the  Indians,  he 
obtained  from  them  occasional  supplies  of  provisions,  which 
preserved  the  colony  from  famine.  The  princess  Poca- 
hontas also,  remembering  him  whose  life  she  had  saved, 
frequently  sent  him  such  articles  as  were  most  needed. 
The  settlers  were  thus  enabled  to  subsist  until  Captain 
Newport,  who  had  returned  to  England,  again  arrived  at 
Jamestown,  with  a  quantity  of  provisions,  and  one  hundred 
and  twenty  persons,  who  came  to  reside  in  the  colony. 

All  danger  being  in  appearance  over,  the  emigrants  no 
longer  submitted  to  the  authority,  nor  listened  to  the  ad- 
vice of  Smith.  Disorder  and  confusion  followed  ;  and 
about  this  time,  that  raging  passion  for  gold,  which  first  im- 
pelled Europeans  to  resort  to  this  country,  was  again  ex- 
cited. In  a  stream  north  of  Jamestown,  a  glittering  earth 
was  discovered  which  was  supposed  to  be  gold  dust.  "  Im- 
mediately," says  Stith,  in  his  history,  "  there  was  no 
thought,  no  discourse,  no  hope,  and  no  work,  but  to  dig 
gold,  wash  gold,  refine  gold,  and  load  gold."  And  notwith- 
standing the  remonstrances  of  Smith,  a  ship  was  freighted 
with  this  worthless  commodity  and  sent  to  England. 

Finding  he  could  not  be  useful  at  Jamestown,  and  un< 
willing  to  be  idle,  Smith  set  out  upon  nn  expedition  to  ex- 
plore the  coasts  of  the  Chesapeake.  With  great  labor  and 
fatigue,  he  examined  every  inlet,  river,  and  bay,  as  far  as 
the  mouth  of  the  Rappahannock  ;  whence,  his  provisions 
being  exhausted,  he  returned  home. 

He  found  the  people  turbulent  and  discontented.  They 
charged  the  president  with  squandering  the  p^iblic  proper- 
ty, and  imposing  upon  them  unnecessary  fatigue,  by  com- 
pelling them  to  build  for  himself  a  house  of  pleasure  in  the 


VIRGINIA. 


13 


woods.  He  was  deposed  ,*  Smith  was  chosen  to  succeed 
him  ;  he  refused  to  accept  the  office,  but  no  other  person 
was  Appointed. 

Having  procured  a  supply  ofprovisions^he  again  depart- 
ed to  complete  the  survey  of  the  Chesapeake.  He  visited 
all  the  covmtries  on  both  shores;  he  traded  with  some 
tribes ;  he  fought  with  others  y  and  left,  among  all,  the  high- 
est admiration  of  the  beneficence  or  valor  of  the  English. 

Returning  after  an  absence  of  six  weeks,  he  was  again 
chosen  president.  Yielding  to  the  general  wish,  he  con< 
sented  to  accept  the  office.  Under  his  administration,  hab- 
its of  industry  and  subordination  were  formed,  and  peace 
and  plenty  smiled  upon  the  colony. 

In  1609,  the  London  company  having  obtained  a  new 
charter,  conferring  greater  powers  and  privileges  than  the 
former,  despatched  to  Virginia  nine  ships,  carrying  five 
hundred  emigrants,  and  certain  officers  appointed  to  super- 
sede the  existing  government.  The  ship  in  which  these 
officers  embarked,  was  driven  ashore  on  the  island  of  Ber- 
mudas. The  settlers  who  came  in  the  othertt  were  licen- 
tious, profligate,  and  disorderly.  Assuming  the  power  of 
disposing  of  the  government,  they  conferred  it  sometimes  on 
one,  and  sometimes  on  another. 

In  this  confusion.  Smith  hesitated  but  a  short  time  in  de- 
cidii^  what  course  to  pursue.  He  determined  that  his  aU' 
thority  was  not  suspended  until  the  arrival.of  the  persons 
appointed  to  supersede  him,  and  resumed,  with  a  strong 
hand,  the  reins  of  government.  He  boldly  imprisoned  the 
leaders  of  tl\e  sedition,  and  restored  for  a  time  regularity 
and  obedience. 

The  Indians,  jealous  of  the  increasing  ppiver  of  the 
strangers  who  had  invaded  their  country,  concerted  a  plot 
to  destroy  them.  Pocahontas,  the  constant  friend  of  Vir- 
ginia, hastened,  in  a  dark  and  dreary  night,  to  Jamestown, 
and  informed  Smith  of  his  danger.  Measures  of  precaution 
were  instantly  taken.  The  Indians,  perceiving  that  their 
design  was  discovered,  ag^n  broueht  presents  of  peace  to 
the  English. 

Soon  aAer,  Smith,  having  received  by  accident  a  severe 
wound,  returned  to  England  to  procure  the  aid  of  a  sur- 
geon.   Diiiptrous  consequences  followed.    The  Indians, 

2  . 


"■* 


'  'QKw.  ■  '.  m,m^.^,tM^  «M 


14 


VIRGIIVU. 


learning  that  the  man  whom  they  dreaded  most  had  hit 
the  colony,  attacked  it  with  united  forces.  A  dreadful  fam- 
ine ensued.  To  such  extremity  were  the  settlers  reduced, 
that  they  devodred  the  skins  of  the  horses,  the  bodies  of 
the  Indians  whom  they  had  killed,  and  at  last  those  of  their 
own  companions,  who  had  sunk  under  accumulated  mis^ 
eries.  These  tremendous  sufferings  were  recollected  long 
afterwards  with  horror,  and  the  period  was  remembered 
and  distinguished  by  the  name  of  the  "  starving  time." 

In  six  months,  the  colony,  from  five  hundred  persons, 
was  reduced  to  sixty  ;  and  these  were  exceedingly  feeble 
and  dejected.  In  this  situation  they  were  visited  by  those 
who  were  shipwrecked  at  Bermudas.  All  immediately  de- 
termined to  return  to  England.  For  this  purpose  the  rem- 
nant of  the  colony  embarked  on  board  the  ships  just  arrived, 
and  sailed  down  the  river.  Fortunately  they  were  met  by 
Lord  Delaware,  who  had  been  appointed  governor  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  who,  having  brought  with  him  a  supply  of  pro- 
visions, persuaded  them  to  return  to  Jamestown. 

This  nobleman,  by  the  mildness  of  his  temper  and  his  as- 
siduity in  business,  restored  order  and  contentment ;  and 
the  Indians  were  again  taught  to  respect  and  fear  the  Eng- 
lish. After  a  short  administration,  he  was  succeeded  by 
Sir  Thomas  Dale,  by  whom,  on  the  recurrence  of  disorder- 
ly conduct,  martini  law  was  proclaimed  and  rigidly  en- 
forced. In  the  same  year,  (1611,)  Sir  Thomas  Gates  was 
appointed  governor.  He  brought  with  him  to  Virginia  a 
reinforcement  of  settlers,  by  whom  new  towns  were  found- 
iidif  And  another  charter  was  granted  by  the  king,  confer- 
ring additional  privileges. 

In  161^,  captain  Argal  having  learned,  while  on  a  trading 
voyage  to  the  Potomac,  that  Pocahontas  was  in  the  neigh- 
borhood,  visited  and  persuaded  her  to  go  on  board  his  ves- 
sel. He  treated  her  respectfully,  but  detained  and  carried 
her  to  Jamestown.  He  presumed  that  the  possession  of 
Pocahontas  would  give  the  English  an  ascendency  over 
Powhatan,  who  was  known  to  feel  a  strong  attachment  to 
hi9  .daughter. 

In  this,  however,  he  was  disappointed.  Powhatan,  no- 
ble by  nature,  felt  indignant  at  this  instance  of  treachery  in 
the  English.  He  offered  a  ransom  for  his  da^hter,  but  re- 
fused to  consent  to  any  terms  of  peace  until  she  was  re- 
stored. 


VIRGINIA. 


16 


During  her  ftay  at  Jamestown,  her  beauty,  herartle^ 
i>implicity,  and  those  graces  of  manner  which  ever  accomr 
pany  dignity  of  mind  and  innocence  of  heart,  won  the  affec- 
tions of  Mr.  Rolfe,  a  young  and  respectable  planter.  He 
succeeded  in  producing  a  reciprocal  attachment.  They 
were  married  with  the  consent  of  Powhatan.  The  con8e<- 
quence  of  this  marriage  was  peace  with  her  father,  and  wit|i 
all  the  tribes  who  stood  in  awe  of  his  power. 

Rolfe  and  his  princess  made  a  voyage  to  England,  where 
she  was  received  by  the  king  and  queen  with  the  attention 
due  to  her  rank.  For  her  virtues,  and  her  disinterested 
services,  she  was  universally  beloved  and  respected.  She 
died  when  about  to  return  to  America,  leaving  one  son, 
from  whom  are  descended  some  of  the  most  respectable 
families  in  Virginia. 

In  1613,  captain  Argal  was  sent,  with  a  naval  force,  to 
drive  the  French  from  the  settlements  they  had  begun  in 
Acadia,  which  were  considered  to  be  within  the  limits  of 
North  Virginia.  He  accomplished  the  object  of  the  expe-r 
dition,  and,  when  returning,  visited  a  Dutch  trading  estab- 
lishment on  Hudson's  river,  which  was  also  within  the 
same  limits.  The  governor,  too  feeble  to  resist,  acknow-'* 
ledged  himself  subject  to  the  king  of  England. 

The  king,  in  his  instructions  given  at  the  time  of  the  first 
emigration  to  Jamestown,  directed  that  nil  the  land  should 
be  owned  in  common,  and  that  the  produce  of  the  labor 
of  all  should  be  deposited  in  the  public  stores.  In  such  cir* 
cumstances,  ho  one  would  labor  with  the  same  steadiness 
and  animation  as  if  he,  and  he  alone,  was  to  possess  and 
enjoy  the  fruit  of  his  industry.  A  di^erent  regulation  Was 
now  adopted.  To  each  inhabitant,  three  acres  of  land  were 
assigned  in  full  property,  and  he  was  permitted  to  employ, 
in  the  cultivation  of  it,  a  certain  portion  ofhis  time.  T^e 
effects  of  this  alteration  were  immediately  visible,  and  de- 
monstrated so  clearly  its  wisdom,  that  soon  after  another 
assignment  of  fifty  acres  was  made  ;  and  the  plan  of  work- 
ing in  a  common  Beld,  to  fill  the  public  stores,  was  entirely 
abandoned. 

Since  the  year  16J1,  the  colony  had  been  governed  by 
martial  law,  which  was  administered,  by  deputy  governor 
Argal,  with  so  much  rigor  as  to  excite  univerial  discon- 
^€nt.     The  council  in  England,  listening  to  the  complaints 


M 


m 


VIROIiriA. 


of  the  VirgiaiaM,  appointed  Mr.  Yeardly  governor,  and 
intiructed  him  to  inquire  into  and  redress  their  wrongs. 

He  arrived  in  April,  l6 19,  and  immediately,  to  the  great 
joy  of  the  inhabitants,  called  a  general  assembly  of  the  co- 
looy.  It  met  at  Jamestown,  on  the  10th  of  June,  and  was 
composed  of  delegates  from  the  boroughs,  then  amounting 
to  seven.  They,  the  governor,  and  the  council,  eat  and 
deliberated  in  the  same  apartments,  and  acted  as  one  body. 

.Emigrants  continued  to  arrive  frequently  from  England, 
hut  nearly  all  were  men,  who  came  for  the  purpose  of  oh- 
tuning  wealth,  and  intended  eventually  to  return.  With 
such  views,  they  were  evidently  less  useful  to  the  colony 
than  if  they  should  be  induced  to  regard  it  as  their  home, 
{)nd  as  the  abode  of  their  posterity.  To  produce  this  de- 
sirable attachment  to  the  country,  ninety,  girls,  young  and 
uncorrupt,  were  sent  over  in  the  year  1 620,  and  sixty  more 
in  the  subsequent  year,  and  immediately  sold  to  the  young 
planters  as  wives^  The  price  was,  at  first,  one  hundred, 
and  afterwards,  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  of  tobacco, 
then  selling  at  three  shillings  the  pound :  and  it  was  ordain- 
ed^ that;  debts,  contracted  for  wives,  should  be  paid  in  pre* 
^ference  to  all  others* 

About  the  same  time,  another  measure,  of  a  different  cha- 
racter, was  adopted.  The  company  were  ordered  by  the 
king  to  transport  to  Virginia  one  hundred  idle  and  dissolute 
persons,  then  in  custody  for  their  offences.  They  were 
distributed  through  the  colony,  and  employed  as  laborers. 

A  Dutch  vessel  also  brought  into  James  river  twenty 
Africans,  who  were  immediately  purchased  as  slaves.  This 
was  the  commencement,  in  the  English  American  colonies, 
of  a  traffic  abhorrent  to  humanity,  disgraceful  to  civilization, 
and  fixing  the  foulest  stain  upon  the  character  of  the  age 
and  people. 

The  colony  was  now  in  the  full  tide  of  prosperity.  Its 
numbers  had  greatly  increased,  and  its  settlements  were 
widely  extended.  At  peace  with  the  Indians,  it  reposed 
in  perfect  security,  and  enjoyed  without  alloy  all  the  hap- 
piness which  its  fortunate  situation  and  favorable  prospects 
afforded.  It  was  doomed  to  experience  a  reverse  of  for- 
tune, sudden,,  distressing,  and  terrible. 

Powhs^an,  the  friend  of  the  English,  was  dead.  Ope- 
cancanough,  a  chief  endowed  with  all  those  qualities  which 


VIRGINIA. 


if* 


give  rank  and  reputation  to  an  Indian  warrior,  had  succeed- 
ed him  in  his  intluence  and  power,  but  he  was  the  secret 
and  implacable  enemy  of  the  whites.  By  his  art  and  elo- 
quence, he  united  all  the  neighboring  tribes  io  the  horri- 
ble design  of  destroying  every  man,  woman,  and  child 
in  the  English  settlements. 

The  plan  wok  concerted  and  matured,  with  all  the  secre- 
cy and  dissimulation  which  characterize  the  savages.  While 
intent  on  their  plot,  they  visited  the  settlements,  lodged 
in  the  houses,  bought  arms  of  the  English,  and  even  bor- 
rowed their  boats  to  enable  them  to  accomplish  their  bar- 
barous purpose. 

Oc  the  evening  before  the  fatal  day,  they  brought  them 
presents  of  game  ;  and  the  next  morning  came  freely  among 
Ihem,  behaving  as  usual.  Suddenly,  precisely  at  mid-day^ 
the  blow  fell,  at  the  same  instant,  upon  the  unsuspecting 
settlers  ;  and  three  hundred  and  forty -seven  men,  women, 
and  children,  were  victims  to  savage  treachery  ac^d  cruelty. 

The  massacre  would  have  been  more  extensive  had 
not  a  domesticated  Indian,  residing  in  one  of  the  villages, 
revealed  the  plot  to  his  muster  whom  he  had  been  solicited 
to  murder.  Information  was  instantly  given  to  some  of 
the  nearest  settlements,  and  just  in  time  to  save  them  from 
the  calamity  which  fell  upon  the  others.  ,^,, 

The  horrid  spectacle  before  them  roused  the  English, 
from  repose  to  vengeanc^.  A  vindictive  and  ei^ierminat- 
ing  war  succeeded.  T^e  whites  were  victorious,  destroy- 
ing many  of  their  en^en^ies,  and  obliging  the  remaindef  to 
retire  far  into  the  wilderness.  But  their  own  number 
meHed  away  before  the  miseries  of  war ;  their  settlemefits 
were  reduced  from  eighty  to  eight,  and  famine  again  visit- 
ed them  with  its  afflicting  scourge.  In  1624,  out  of  nine 
thousand  persons,  who  had  been  sent  from  England,  ^|it 
eighteen  hundred  existed  io  the  colony. 

These,  continual  misfortunes  attracted  the,  «ttention  of 
king  James,  He  revoked  the  charter  which  he  had  grant- 
ed, and  committed  the  management  of  al)  the  affairs  of  the 
colony  to  a  governor  and  twelve  counsellors,  who  were  to 
be  appointed  by  the  king  and  to  be  guided  by  his  iostnic- 
tioos,  Of  these  instructions,  4hpse  concerning  tobacoo^ 
the  principal  article  exported  frp^  the  colony,  i^y  be  ta- 
ken as  a  sampfe.    It  was  ordained  that  tho,^e  who  raised  tt 

3* 


If 


vmotNtA. 


should  not  ihemselvei  bo  permitted  to  dispose  of  it,  but 
shoald  export  it  to  England,  nnd  deliver  it  to  certain  desig- 
nated agents ;  and  they  alone  were  authorized  to  sell  it. 

Under  such  arbitrary  regulations,  the  people  lived  and 
snCTered,  until  the  year  1036,  when  sir  John  Harvey  held 
the  office  of  governor.  He  was  haughty  ^  rapacious,  unfeel« 
ing,  and  fitted,  by  his  disposition,  to  eiercise  power  in  the 
true  spiric  of  his  instructions.  Infiamed  to  madness  b;^  his 
oppressions,  the  Virginians,  in  a  fit  of  popular  rage,  seized 
and  sent  him  a  prisoner  to  England.  At  the  same  time, 
they  despatcbea  two  deputies  charged  to  represent  the 
grievances  of  the  colony  and  the  governor's  misconduct. 

Charles  the  first,  who  was  then  king,  indignant  at  the  vio- 
lent proceeding,  received  the  deputies  sternly,  and  sent 
bade  the  governor,  invested  with  all  his  former  powers. 
Hewas,  however,  in  1639, succeeded  by  sir  William  Berke- 
ley, who  Wiis  instructed  again  to  allow  the  Virginians  to 
elect  representatives.  Such  was  their  gratitude  to  the 
king  for  this  favor,  that  during  the  civil  wars  between  him 
and  his  parliament,  they  were  faithful  to  the  royal  cause, 
and  ccmtinued  faithful  even  after  he  was  diethroned.  and  h'w 
son  driven  into  exile. 

The  parliament,  irritated  by  this  eoniruct  of  the  Virgi- 
uians,  sefht  sir  George  Ayscuc,  in  1652,  with  a  powerful 
fleet,  to  reduce  them  to  submission.    Berkeley,  with  more 
9piri[t  than  prudence,  opposed  thi»  force ;  but  after  mak* 
inrn'gallant  resistance,  he  was  obliged  to  yield.     He  ob- 
tamed  the  most  favorable  terms  for  the  colony,,  but  asked 
no  stipulations  in  his  own  favor.    Withdrawing  to  a  retired 
situation,  he  lived  beloved  and  respected  by  the  people. 
vFor  nine  years  afterwards,  governors  appointed  by 
Gi^m>VeU,  continued  to  preside  over  the  cofony.     But  the 
pre)(Kl4ictiort  for  royalty,  which  the  inhabitants  had  display* 
ed^was^  remembered;  and  they  were  less  favored  than  those 
of  New  England,  who,  like  the  predominant  party  in  Great 
Britainlrwere  republicans  in  politics,  and  puritans  in  reli- 
gicin.     Artitrary  rcstrictSbne  upon  the  commerce  of  Vir- 
^ttiiB  cheeked  its  prosperity,  and  produced  discontent*    At 
lengthy  the  suddfikl  d^ath  of  governor  Matthews  afforded, 
to  thfei  adherents  of  the  royai  cause,  a  favorable  opportunity, 
which  they  gladly  seized,  to  proclaim  Charles  the  second, 
and  to  iiiTile  Berkeley  to  restime  the  authority  of  governor. 


[^ 


VIROINU. 


19 


lie  consented,  requiring  only  (heir  solemn  promise  to  ha- 
zard their  lives  and  fortunes  in  supporting  the  cause  they 
had  espoused. 

At  this  period,  no  intelligence  had  been  received  of  the 
death  of  Cromwell.  Fortunately  for  the  colonv,  that  event 
happened  soon  after ;  the  king  u  horn  they  had  proclaimed 
was  restored  to  the  throite ;  nnd  Virginia  for  a  long  time 
boasted,  that  she  was  the  last  of  the  British  dominions  that 
submitted  to  Cromwell,  and  the  first  that  returned  to  her 
allegiance. 

Charles  the  second  confirmed  sir  William  Berkeley  in 
the  office  of  governor ;  but,  with  characteristic  ingratitude, 
he  neglected  the  interests  of  the  colony,  and  even  imposed 
additional  restrictions  upon  its  commerce.  He  also  grant- 
ed to  his  favorites  large  tracts  of  land  which  .belonged  to 
the  colony.  These  injuries,  inflicted  by  a  hand  which 
ought  to  have  bestowed  mvors,  wounded  the  feelings  of  the 
Virginians,  nnd  produced  murmurs  and  complaints.  No 
relief  being  granted,  an  open  and  turbulent  insurrection 
was  the  consequence. 

At  the  head  of  the  insurgents,  was  Nathaniel  Bacon, 
lie  was  a  lawyer,  educated  in  London,  and  was  appointed 
a  member  of  the  council,  a  short  time  after  his  emigration 
to  Virginia.  He  was  young,  bold,  ambitious ;  bis  person 
engaging,  and  his  elocution  commanding.  He  harangued 
the  citizens  upon  their  grievances ;  inflamed  their  resent- 
ment against  their  rulers  ;  declaimed  particularly  against 
the  languor  witli  which  the  war,  then  existing  with  the  In- 
dians, had  been  conducted  ;  and  such  was  the  ^ect  of  his  re- 
presentations, that  he  was  elected  general  by  the  people. 

He  applied  to  the  governor  for  a  commission  confirming 
this  election,  nnd  offered  instantly  to  march,  at  the  head  of 
the  citizens,  against  the  savages.  Sir  William  indignantly 
refused,  and  issued  a  proclamation  commanding  the  insur- 
gents to  disperse.  Bacon  had  advanced  too  far  to  recede 
with  honor  or  safety.  He  hastened,  at  the  head  of  six 
hundred  arme^  followers,  to  Jamestown,  surrounded  the 
house  where  the  governor  and  council  were  assembled, 
and  repeated  his  demand. 

The  council,  intimidated  by  the  threats  of  the  enraged 
multitude,  hastily  prepared  a  commission,  and,  by  their  en- 
treaties, prevailed  on  the  governor  t«  sign  it.     Bacon  alkd 


m^i^^^^i^^JmilBikmh 


20 


VikciNIA. 


his  trbops,  then  began  their  march  against  the  Indians.  But 
the  council,  when  relieved  from  their  fears,  declared  the 
commission  void,  and  proclaimed  him  a  rebel.  Enraged  at 
this  conduct,  he  instantly  returned,  with  all  his  forces,  to 
Jamestown.  The  governor  fled,  the  council  dispersed,  and 
he  found  himself  in  possession  of  supreme  power.  To  give 
it  some  show  of  legality,  he  called  together  the  most  con^ 
siderable  gentlemen  in  the  colony,  who  bound  themselves 
by  oath  to  support  his  authority. 

Some  districts  remained  faithful  to  Berkeley,  who  col- 
lected forces,  and  made  inroads  into  those  sections  where 
Bacon's  authority  was  recognised.  The  latter  retaliated, 
and  for  some  months,  a  civil  war,  with  all  its  peculiar  hor- 
rors, raged  in  Virginia.  Jamestown  was  burned,  and  some 
of  the  finest  and  best  cultivated  districts  were  laid  waste. 

King  Charles,  informed  of  the  situation  of  affairs,  de- 
spatched a  body  of  troops  to  the  assistance  of  Berkeley. 
Bacon  and  his  followers,  unintimidated  by  their  approach, 
determined  to  oppose  them  ;  but  «vhen  prepared  to  take 
the  field,  this  daring  and  successful  leader,  having  exer- 
cised the  supreme  power  for  seven  months,  sickened  and 
died;  and  no  person  being  found  among  the  insurgents 
qualified  to  supply  his  place,  as  the  general  of  an  army,  oi* 
as  a  popular  leader,  they  laid  down  their  arms  and  dis- 
persed. 

Governor  Berkeley  again  assumed  the  supreme  authori- 
ty, and  finding  the  rebels  in  his  power,  pursued  them  with 
linsparing  rigor.  Many  were  tried  by  courts  martial,  and 
executed.  The  assembly  interfered,  praying  him  to  stop 
the  work  of  death,  and  enacted  laws  which  gradually  re- 
stored tranquillity.  Soon  after.  Sir  William  returned  to 
England,  and  his  authority  devolved  on  colonel  Jeffreys, 
the  lieutenant-governor.  Under  his  administration,  peiicc 
was  concluded  with  the  Indians  ;  and  notwithstanding  the 
tyrannical  regulations  of  the  king,  and  the  oppressive  re- 
strictions upon  commerce,  the  colony  increased  in  wealth 
and  population.  In  the  ydar  1688,  the  nomber  of  inhabit- 
ants exceeded  60,000.  ''"- 

Between  this  period  and  the  commencement  pf  the 

French  war  of  1766,  an  account  of  which  will  be  found  in 

a  subsequent  chapter,  but  few  events  occurred  in  the  cole* 

..  ny  of  sufficient  importance  to  find  a  pljufe  in  history.    Irs 


VIRGINIA. 


2t 


position,  remote  from  the  settlements  of  the  French  in 
Canada,  and  of  the  Spaniards  in  Florida,  was  favorable  to 
its  quiet.  New-England  and  New- York,  on  the  one  hand, 
Georgia  and  the  Cacolinas  on  the  other,  protected  it  from 
savage  incursions.  Its  affairs  were  administered  by  gov^ 
ernors  appointed  by  the  king,  and  representatives  chosen 
by  the  people. 

The  laudable  efforts  of  these  representatives,  to  arrest 
the  progress  of  slavery  in  the  colony,  ought  not  to  be  pass- 
ed 0%  er  in  silence.  Convinced  of  its  inhumanity,  and  fore- 
seeing the  dreadful  evils  which  it  must  produce,  they  often 
passed  laws  prohibiting  the  importation  of  slaves  ;  but  those 
who  were  higher  in  authority,  yielding  to  the  wishes  of 
merchants  engaged  in  the  abominable  traffic,  persisted, 
with  criminal  obstinacy,  in  withholding  their  assent.  Eng- 
land, not  America,  is  responsible  for  the  wretchedness, 
which  her  kings  and  her  officers  were  often  importuned, 
but  refused,  to  avert. 


:*  ' 


'r^* 


iv^  i;v>!iR*'. 


.1    :',  >v. 


.<%'': fr-.>  1  '  "i 


«:..«.: 


>^ 


■  <i 


w. 


■% 


OHAPTKR  IK 


MASSACHUSETTS. 


Of  (he  two  companies  incorporated  by  king  James,  An 
account  of  the  proceedings  and  dissolution  of  one,  and  a 
history  of  the  colony  it  founded,  have  been  given  in  the 
preceding  chapter.  To  the  other,  or  Plymouth  company,* 
was  assigned  a  portion  of  the  American  continent  lying  fsir- 
ther  to  the  north,  and  at  that  time  called  North  Virginia. 

The  latter,  in  1606,  the  year  in  which  both  were  incor- 
porated, despatched  a  ship  to  make  discoveries  within'the 
limits  of  its  grant.  Before  the  voyage  was  completed,  she- 
was  captured  by  the  Spaniards.  Another  ship,  afterwards 
sent  for  the  same  purpose,  returned  with  such  a  favorable 
account  of  the  territory  that  the  company  was  encouraged 
to  proceed  in  the  undertaking. 

The  next  year,  forty-five  men  were  sent  over  and  left  at 
the  mouth  of  the  river  Kennebec.  In  1608,  dispirited  by 
the  hardships  they  had  endured,  they  returned  to  England 
in  ships  which  had  brought  them  provisions  and  succors. 
The  company,  disappointed  and  dissatisfied,  desisted  for 
a  while  from  all  attempts  to  effect  a  settlement. 

In  1614,  John  Smith,  the  same  who  acted  a  conspicuous 
part  in  the  settlement  of  Virginia,  made  a  voyage  to  this 
northern  country,  touching  first  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kenne- 
bec. Sailing  thence,  in  an  open  boat,  he  surveyed  the 
coast  to  the  southern  boundary  of  Massachusetts  bay.  The 
northern  promontory  he  named  Tragabigzanda,  in  honor 
of  the  Turkish  lady  to  whom  he  had  formerly  been  a  slave. 
The  three  small  islands,  lying  near  the  head  of  the  pro- 
montory, he  called  the  Three  Turks'  Heads,  in  memory  oC 
his  victory  over  the  three  Turkish  champions.  Both  ap* 
pellatioDs  have  been  changed  for  others.  On  his  return  to 
England,  he  presented  to  prince  Charles  a  tnap  of  the 
(Country,  and  gave  him  such  a  glowing  description  of  its 


«^ 


•■'  '•^"'-'l-^t^^,' 


.^^ 


24 


MASSACHUSBTTS. 


H' 


beauty  and  excellence,  that  he,  in  the  warmth  of  his  admi- 
ration, declared  it  should  bear  the  name  of  New-England. 

Smith  afterwards  made  an  attempt  to  transport  a  colony 
thither,  which  was  unsuccessful ;  and  New-E<ngland  might 
long  have  remained  the  abode  of  wild  beasts  and  savages 
only,  had  not  motives,  more  powerful  than  the  love  of  gain 
or  of  perilous  adventures,  impelled  men,  differing  from  all 
others  who  had  been  the  founders  of  colonies,  to  select  it 
as  the  place  of  their  residence. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century,  James  the 
first  asserted  and  maintained  a  despotic  power  over  the 
vConsciences  of  his  English  subjects.  All  who  presumed  to 
dissent  from  the  creed  which  he  had  adopted  were  perse- 
cuted with  extreme  rigor.  In  that  age,  the  maxim  was 
avowed  by  ecclesiastics  of  all  sects  as  well  as  politicians, 
that  uniformity  in  religion  was  essential  to  the  repose  of 
society,  and  that  it  was  therefore  the  right  and  duty  of 
every  sovereign  to  preserve  it  in  his  dominions,  by  the 
exercise  of  all  his  powers  of  restraint  and  punishment. 

But  free  inquiry  had  lately  received  such  an  impulse 
from  the  success  of  Luther  and  the  other  reformers,  that 
the  civil  authority  was  unable  to  arrest  or  controll  it.  Va- 
rious sects  arose,  dissenting  from  the  established  religion, 
and  all  distinguished  by  their  democratic  tenets  respecting 
church  government.  Persecuted  at  home,  a  small  number, 
belonging  to  the  sect  which  were  afterwards  called  Inde- 
pendents, removed  to  Leyden,  in  Holland,  where  they 
formed  a  distinct  society  under  the  care  of  their  pastor,  the 
Rev.  Jphn  Robinson.  By  their  rigid  virtues  and  exempla- 
ry deportment,  they  acquired  the  respect  of  the  magistrates 
and  citizens. 

After  residing  severtil  years  in  that  city,  various  consider- 
ations induced  them  to  resolve  to  leave  it.  In  1618,  they 
af^plied  to  the  London,  or  South  Virginia,  company,  for  u 
K  grant  of  land  in  America  ;  and  to  ensure  success,  they  ob- 
Iserved,  <*  that  they  were  well  weaned  from  the  delicate 
milk  of  the  mother  country,  and  inured  to  the  difficulties 
of  a  strange  land  ;  that  they  were  knit  together  by  a  strict 
and  sacred  bond,  by  virtue  of  which  they  held  themselves 
bound  to  take  care  of  the  good  of  each  other  and  of  the 
whole  ;  that  it  was  not  with  them  as  with  other  men,  whom 
sinaUtbii^  cduH  discourage,  or  small  discontents  cause  to 
wish  themselves  home  a^in." 


MASSACHUSETTS* 


A  grant  was  obtained,  and  in  September,  1620,  a  part  of 
th5>m  set  sail  for  Hudnon's  river ;  but  the  master  of  the 
ship,  bribed,  it  is  said,  by  the  Dutch,  who  claimed  the  sole 
right  of  trading  in  that  quarter,  carried  them  farther  north, 
and  the  first  land  they  discovered  was  cape  Cod.  This, 
they  were  aware,  was  beyond  the  limits  of  the  London 
company,  but  it  was  how  November,  and  too  late  in  the 
season  to  put  again  to  sea.  They  therefore  determined  to 
land  at  the  tirst  place  they  could  find  suitable  for  a  settle- 
ment. 

Before  leaving  the  ship,  the  heads  of  families  and  free- 
men, forty  one  in  number,  signed  a  solemn  covenant,  com- 
bining themselves  into  a  body  politic  for  the  purpose  of 
making  equal  laws  for  the  general  good.  They  ordained 
that  a  governor  and  assistants  should  be  annually  chosen, 
but  the  sovereign  power  remained  in  the  whole  body  of 
freemen.     John  Carver  was  elected  governor. 

On  the  1 1  th  of  December,  (O.  S.)  they  landed  on  a  desolate 
coast.  Sterile  sands  and  gloomy  forests  were  the  only  objects 
that  met  their  view.  The  severity  of  the  cold,  greater  than 
they  had  ever  experienced,  admonished  them  to  seek  pro- 
tection against  it ;  and  their  first  employment  was  the  erec- 
tion of  huts  in  the  most  convenient  and  sheltered  situations. 
In  these  miserable  abodes  they  p;tssed  the  winter,  those  at 
least  who  survived  it.  By  the  succeeding  spring,  one  half 
of  their  number  had  perished,  exhausted  by  continual  suf- 
fering, and  by  the  privation  of  every  worldly  comfort 
which  they  had  been  accustomed  to  enjoy. 

Their  settlement  was  found*  to  be  within  the  limits  of 
the  Plymouth  company  from  which  they  solicited  and  ob^ 
tained  a  grant  of  land ;  but  they  were  never  incorporated  by 
the  king.  They  called  the  place  New-Plymouth.  They  of- 
ten received  small  additions  to  their  number,  which,  in 
1630,  amounted  to  three  hundred. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  same  causes  that  drove  Mr.  Ro 
binson  and  his  congregation  from  England  had  continued  to 
operate.  A  class  of  dissenters,  denominated  puritans  from 
the  austerity  of  their  manners,  and  from  their  claims  to  su- 
perior purity  in  worship  and  discipline,  had  become  nume- 
rous ;  and  as,  by  their  new  mode  of  worship,  they  violated 
the  laws  of  the  land,  thej  were  prosecuted  as  criminals. 
Their  faith  was  confirmed  and  their  zeal  increased  by  their 

3 


,# 


*^-fimmf-'. 


26 


MASSACHUSETTS. 


sufferings ;  and  having  learned  that  complete  religious  free> 
dom  was  enjoyed  at  New-Plymouth,  in  America,  they  natu* 
rally  directed  their  thoughts  to  that  country,  as  a  secure 
asylum  from  persecution. 

In  1627,  an  association  of  puritans,  residing  at  Dorches- 
ter and  the  vicinity,  was  formed  for  the  purpose  of  plant- 
ing  a  colony  in  New-England,  to  which  they  and  their 
brethren  might  repair,  and,  in  seclusion  and  safety,  wor- 
ship Ood  according  to  the  dictates  of  conscience.  They 
obtained  from  the  Plymouth  company,  a  grant  of  the  terri- 
tory, which  now  constitutes  a  part  of  the  state  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  sent  over,  under  the  direction  of  John  Endi- 
cott,  a  small  number  of  people,  to  begin  a  plantation. 
These,  in  September,  landed  at  a  place  called,  by  the  In- 
dians, Naumkeag,  and,  by  themselves,  Salem. 

The  next  year,  they  obtained  a  charter  from  the  crown j 
by  which  the  usual  powers  of  a  corporation  were  confer- 
red upon  the  grantees,  by  the  name  of  the  "  Governor 
and  Company  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  in  New-England."  It 
ordained,  that  the  officers  of  the  company  should  be  a  Gov- 
ernor, a  deputy  Governor,  and  eighteen  assistants,  to  be 
named,  in  the  tirst  instance,  by  the  crown,  and  afterwards 
elected  by  the  corporation.  Four  stated  meetings  of  all 
the  members  were  to  be  held  annually,  under  the  denom- 
ination of  the  General  Court,  at  which  they  were  author- 
ised to  admit  freemen  or  members,  and  to  make  such  ordi- 
nances or  laws,  not  repugnant  to  the  laws  of  England,  as 
they  might  deem  expedient.  The  colonists,  and  their  de- 
scendants, were  declared  to  be  entitled  to  all  the  rights  of 
natural  born  English  subjects. 

At  a  General  Court,  held  at  London,  in  1629,  the  officers 
prescribed  by  the  charter,  were  elected,  and  several  or- 
dinances were  adopted  for  the  government  of  the  compa- 
ny. Three  hundred  people  were  sent  over,  of  whom  one 
hundred,  dissatisfied  with  the  situation  of  Salem,  removed 
to  Charlestown.  Religion  was  the  first  object  of  their 
care  in  the  country  they  had  adopted.  A  religious  cove- 
nant was  agreed  upon,  and  a  confession  of  faith  drawn  up, 
to  which  their  assent  was  given.  Pastors  were  chosen, 
and  were,  from  necessity,  installed  into  their  spcred  offices 
by  the  imposition  of  the  hands  of  the  brethren. 
.  The  ensuing  winter  was  a  period  of  uncommon  suffer* 


•1 


\    \    \ 


MASSACHUSETTS. 


27 


tng  and  sickness.  The  cold  was  intense ;  the  houses  were 
unfinished  ;  the  provisions  were  insufficient  and  unwhole- 
some. Before  spring,  nearly  half  their  number  perished, 
«<  lamenting  that  they  could  not  live  to  see  the  rising  glo- 
ries of  the  faithful.^* 

These  calamities  had  some  effect  in  deterring  others 
from  joining  them  ;  but  the  consideration  that  the  general 
courts  were  held,  the  officers  elected,  and  the  laws  enact- 
ed, in  London,  had  still  greater  influence  It  did  not  com- 
port with  the  views  and  feelings  of  those  who  disdained  to 
submit  to  authority  in  matters  of  faith,  to  consent  to  re- 
move to  the  new  world,  and  there  be  governed  by  laws 
which  they  could  have  no  part  in  enacting.  Representa- 
tions to  this  effect  were  made  to  the  company,  who  re- 
solved that  the  government  and  patent  should  be  removed 
to  Massachusetts. 

This  wise  resolution  gave  such  encouragement  to  emi- 
gration, that,  in  1630,  more  than  fifteen  hundred  persons 
came  over,  and  founded  Boston  and  several  adjacent  towns. 
Of  these  persons,  all  were  respectable,  and  many  were 
from  illustrious  and  noble  families.  Having  been  accus- 
tomed to  a  life  of  ease  and  enjoyment,  their  sufferings,  the 
first  year,  were  great,  and  proved  fatal  to  many  ;  among 
others,  to  the  lady  Arabella,  who,  to  use  the  words  of  an 
early  historian  of  the  country,  *^came  from  a  paradise  of 
plenty  and  pleasure,  in  the  fiimily  of  a  noble  earl,  into  a 
wildernes<;  of  wants  ;  and  although  celebrated  for  her  many 
virtues,  yet  was  not  .able  to  encounter  the  adversity  she 
was  surrounded  with  ;  and,  in  about  a  month  after  her  ar- 
rival, she  ended  her  days  at  Salem,  where  she  first  land- 
ed." Mr.  Johnson,  her  husband,  overcome  with  grief, 
survived  her  but  a  short  time. 

Before  December,  two  hundred  perished.  On  the  24th 
of  that  month,  the  cold  became  intense.  Such  a  Christmas 
eve  they  had  never  before  known.  Yet  the  inclemency 
of  the  weather  continued  to  increase.  They  were  almost 
destitute  of  provisions,  and  many  were  obliged  to  subsist 
on  clams,  muscles,  and  other  shell  fish,  with  nuts  and 
acorns  instead  of  bread.  Many  more  died ;  but  in  this  ex- 
tremity, that  ardor  of  conviction  which  impelled  them  to 
emigrate,  remained  in  full  force,  and  they  met,  with  a  firm, 
unshaken  spirit,  the  calamities  which  assailed  them. 


'■'^^'timmmii*' 


28 


MASSACHUSETTS. 


One  great  object  of  the  paritans,  in  retiring  to  the  unoc- 
cupied regions  of  New  England,  was  the  establishment  of 
a  religious  commonwealth,  as  nearly  upon  the  model  of 
that  of  the  Jews  as  the  difference  of  circumstances  would 
admit.  To  accomplish  this  object,  they  deemed  it  neces- 
sary, and  at  a  general  court,  held  in  1631,  they  ordained, 
that  none  but  those  who  had  made  a  profession  of  religion 
and  had  become  members  of  some  church,  should  be  ad- 
mitted members  of  the  corporation,  or  enjoy  the  privilege 
of  voting. 

This  law  has  been  too  severely  censured  by  those  who 
have  lived  in  more  liberal  and  enlightened  times.  It  con- 
tradicted none  of  the  professions  of  the  puritans.  It  was 
in  strict  accordance  with  the\avowed  motives  of  their  emi- 
gration. It  exhibited  less  intolerance  than  was  then  dis* 
played  by  every  other  nation.  It  violated  the  rights  of  no 
one,  for  no  one  could  claim  a  right  to  come  into  the  terri- 
tory which  they  had  purchased.  And  it  was  doubtless  es- 
sential, such  was  then  the  temper  of  men's  minds,  to  the 
repose  of  their  little  society. 

The  colonists  had  frequently  been  alarmed,  but  never 
yet  attacked,  by  the  Indians.  These  were  not,  in  fact,  in 
a  condition  to  do  much  injury.  A  few  years  before  the 
arrival  of  the  English,  a  contagious  distemper  swept  away 
a  great  number,  almost  exterminating  several  tribes.  In 
1633,  the  small  pox  destroyed  many  who  had  survived  the 
pestilence  ;  and  the  territory,  contiguous  to  the  first  settle- 
ments of  the  English,  seemed  to  have  been  providentially 
made  vacant  for  their  reception.  As  an  attack  from  this 
quarter  was,  however,  possible,  and  as  the  French,  who 
had  a  trading  establishment  at  Acadia,  had  discovered 
some  symptoms  of  hostility,  it  was  thought  advisable  to 
erect  fortifications  at  Boston,  and  other  places,  and  to  open 
a  correspondence  with  their  neighbors  at  New-Plymouth. 

So  far  from  the  capital  had  the  settlements  extended, 
that  it  was  found  extremely  inconvenient  for  all  the  free- 
men to  assemble  and  transact  the  necessary  public  busi- 
ness. In  1<}34,  the  mode  of  legislation  was  altered,  by 
the  general  consent  of  the  towns.  They  delegated  to 
twenty-four  representatives,  the  authority  granted,  by  the 
charter,  to  the  whole  body  of  freemen.  This  important 
alteration  was  adopted  the  more  readily,  as  the  emigrants 


MASSACHUSETTS, 


2& 


t  neces- 
rdained, 
religion 
I  be  ad- 
iiivilege 

>se  who 
it  con- 
It  was 
eir  emi- 
[len  dis* 
Its  of  no 
he  terri- 
tless  es- 
},  to  the 

at  never 

I  fact,  in 

fore  the 

pt  away 

)es.     In 

ived  the 

St  settle- 

lentially 

rom  this 

ch,  who 

covered 

isable  to 

to  open 

ymouth. 

Uended, 

he  free- 

ic  bu^i- 

>red,  by 

gated  to 

,  by  the 

iportant 

migrants 


ii 


'    V 


had  been  familiar,  in  their  native  country,  with  the  repre» 
sentative  system.  The  appellation  of  General  Court, 
which  had  been  applied  to  all  the  freemen  when  assem- 
bled, was  now  transferred  to  their  representatives. 

In  thesame  year,  Roger  Williams,  the  minister  ot  oa* 
lem,  having  occasioned  disturbances,  by  advancing  tenets 
considered  not  only  heretical  but  seditious,  and  being 
found  irreclaimable,  was  ordered  to  leave  the  colony.  He 
retired  to  Kehoboth,  which  was  then  within  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  Plymouth. 

In  1635,  Massachusetts  received  from  England  a  large 
number  of  inhabitants,  and  among  them  came  two  who  af- 
terwards acted  conspicuous  parts  in  the  affairs  of  their  na- 
tive country.  One  was  Hugh  Peters,  who  was  subse- 
quently a  chaplain  of  Oliver  Cromwell ;  the  other  was  Mr. 
Vane,  afterwards  Sir  Henry  Vane.  The  latter  was  but 
25  years  of  age  ;  but  by  his  show  of  great  humility,  his 
grave  and  solemn  deportment,  and  his  ardent  professions 
of  attachment  to  liberty,  he  stole  the  hearts  of  the  puri* 
fans,  and,  the  year  after  his  arrival,  was  made  governor  of 
the  colony. 

His  popularity,  however,  was  transient.  During  his  ad- 
ministration, the  celebrated  Mrs.  Hutchinson,  a  woman 
who  was  distinguished  for  her  eloquence,  and  had  im- 
bibed the  enthusiasm  of  the  age,  instituted  weekly  meet* 
ings  for  persons  of  her  own  sex,  in  which  she  comment- 
ed on  the  sermons  of  the  preceding  Sunday,  and  advan- 
ced certain  mystical  and  extravagant  doctrines.  These 
spread  rapidly  among  the  people,  and  many  became  con- 
verts. 

Governor  Vane,  with  Mr.  Cotton  and  Mr.  Wheelwright, 
two  distinguished  clergymen,  embraced  them  with  ardor  ; 
but  lieutenant  governor  W^inthrop,  and  a  majority  of  the 
churches,  deemed  them  heretical  and  seditious.  Great 
excitement  was  produced  amoug  the  people  ;  many  con* 
Terences  were  held  ;  public  fasts  were  appointed  ;  a  gen- 
eral synod  was  summoned  ;  and  after  much  intemperate 
discussion,  her  opinions  were  determined  to  be  erroneous, 
and  she  and  some  of  her  adherents  were  banished  from 
the  colony. 

Not  being  again  chosen  governor.  Vane  returned  in  dis^- 
gust  to  England,  engaged  in  the  civil  wars,  which  sood  af* 

3» 


*  «  *'-mi>m»' 


30 


MASSACHUSETTS. 


ter  afflicted  that  country,  sustained  high  offices  in  the  re- 
publican party,  and  after  the  restoration  of  Charles  II. 
was  accused  of  high  treason,  convicted  and  executed.  Pe- 
ters pursued  a  similar  career,  and  met  with  the  same  fate. 

In  such  high  repute,  at  this  time,  were  the  settlements 
in  Massachusetts,  that  other  Englishmen,  still  more  con- 
spicuous, had  determined  to  leave  their  native  land,  that 
they  might  enjoy,  in  a  desert,  the  civil  and  religious  lib- 
erty which  was  denied  them  at  home.  Among  these  were 
Mr.  Hambden,  Sir  Arthur  Haselrig,  and  Oliver  Cromwell, 
whom  king  Charles,  by  express  order,  detained,  when  on 
the  point  of  embarking.  Little  did  he  imagine  that,  by 
this  act  of  arbitrary  power,  he  kept  within  his  kingdom 
those  restless  votaries  of  freedom,  who  were  destined  to 
overturn  his  throne,  and  bring  his  head  to  the  block. 

By  the  settlement  of  Massachusetts,  the  attention  of 
emigrants  was  diverted  from  the  colony  of  Plymouth, 
where  the  soil  was  less  fertile.  It  nevertheless  contin- 
ued to  increase,  although  slowly,  in  population.  In  1633, 
the  government  of  that  colony  built  a  trading  house,  near 
Hartford,  which  was  the  first  building  erected  within  the 
boundaries  of  Connecticut.  Soon  after,  many  persons  re- 
paired thither  from  Massachusetts.  In  ]6ct6,  Roger  Wil- 
liams laid  the  foundation  of  Rhode  Island.  Subsequently.. 
New-Hampshire  and  New-Haven  we^A  founded,  which 
increased  to  five  the  number  of  colonies:  in  New-England. 

The  rapid  progress  of  the  English  settlements,  excited 
the  jealousy  of  the  natives.  They  had  welcomed,  with- 
out fear,  the  emigrants  who  first  landed,  not  anticipating 
their  future  encroachments.  The  experience  of  a  few 
years  convinced  them  that  they  must  either  exterminate 
these  invaders  of  their  country,  or  be  themselves  exter- 
minated. 

Within  the  boundaries  of  Rhode  Island  and  Connecti- 
cut, lived  two  warlike  tribes,  the  Pequods  and  Narragan- 
sets.  The  former  were  hostile,  the  latter  friendly,  to  the 
whites.  Between  the  two  tribes,  an  inveterate  enmity  ex- 
isted ;  but  the  more  sagacious  and  politic  Pequods  proposed 
that  all  animosities  should  be  forgotten,  and  their  united 
strength  directed  against  their  invaders,  before  they  had 
become  too  strong  to  be  resisted.  At  first  the  Narragan^ 
sets  wavered,  bat  their  hatred  of  the  Pequods  overpower- 


r  iff 


MASSACHUSETTS. 


31 


cd  the  suggestions  of  policy.      They  disclosed  ^      pro- » 
posal  to  the  EngUsh,  and  invited  them  to  join  in  a  war 
against  their  common  enemy. 

The  colonies  were  routed  to  a  sense  of  their  danger. 
In  1637,  Massachusetts,  Plymouth,  and  Connecticut,  agreed 
to  unite  their  forces,  and  attempt  the  entire  destruction  of 
the  Pequods.  Captain  Mason,  with  eighty  men,  princi- 
pally from  Connecticut,  and  three  hundred  friendly  In- 
dians, was  immediately  sent  into  the  country  of  thf  ene- 
my. Early  in  the  morning  of  the  26th  of  May,  he  attack- 
ed one  of  their  principal  villages,  which  had  been  sur- 
rounded with  pallisadoes.  The  resistance  was  brave  and 
obstinate,  and  the  issue  of  the  battle  for  some  time  doubt  , 
ful ;  but  the  whites,  forcing  their  way  into  the  enclosure, 
set  fire  to  the  wigwams,  and  then,  retreating  a  short  dis- 
tance, surrounded  the  town.  Many  of  the  Indians  perish- 
ed in  the  flames  ;  others  were  shot,  in  their  attempts  to 
flee.  Of  five  or  six  hundred,  within  the  enclosure,  but 
few  escaped.  The  English  troops,  of  whom  two  were 
killed  and  sixteen  wounded,  returned  in  triumph  to  Hart- 
ford. 

In  June,  another  body  of  troops,  principally  from  Mas- 
sachusetts, marched  into  the  enemy's  country,  surrounded 
a  swamp,  into  which  a  party  of  them  had  retired,  and 
took  eighty  captive.  Some  escaping,  they  were  pursued 
to  another  swamp,  situated  near  New-Haven,  where  the 
whole  strength  of  the  tribe  was  collected.  This  was,  in 
like  manner,  surrounded  ;  a  sharp  contest  ensued  ;  but 
the  whites  were  again  victorious.  Two  hundred  Pe 
quods  were  killed  or  made  prisoners.  The  remainder  fled 
to  the  country  of  the  Mohawks.  The  brilliant  success  of 
the  English,  in  this  first  and  short  war  with  the  natives, 
gave  the  neighboring  tribes  such  an  exalted  idea  of  their 
prowess,  that,  for  nearly  forty  years,  they  were  neither 
attacked  nor  molested. 

Ten  years  had  now  elapsed  since  the  first  settlement 
was  made  at  Salem.  It  has  been  computed  that,  within 
that  time,  twenty  one  thousand  persons  arrived  in  Massa- 
chusetts. The  dissenters  in  England  having  obtained  the 
ascendency  in  the  government,  all  motives  for  emigration 
ceased  ;  and  it  is  supposed  that,  for  many  years  after- 
wards, more  persons  returned  to  England,  than  came  from 
England  to  the  colonies. 


,•-^1 


32 


MASSACHUSETTS! 


Such,  however,  were  the  ch  racter  and  virtues  of  the 
emigrants  ;  such  the  power  over  difliculties  which  their 
resolute  minds,  and  bodien  hardened  by  labor,  had  impart* 
edto  them,  that  they  continued  to  increase,  with  astonish- 
ing rapidity,  in  wealth  and  numbers.  And  a  vote  of  the 
house  of  commons,  stating  that  '*  the  plantations  in  New* 
England  had  had  good  and  prosperous  success,  without  any 
public  charge  to  the  state,"  is  quoted,  by  a  historian  of 
those  times,  as  un  honorable  testimony  of  the  high  merit 
of  the  colonists. 

Circumstances  and  events  had  nlrea'ly  impressed  a  cha- 
racter upon  them,  which,  though  softened  in  its  worst 
features  by  the  progress  of  refinement,  still  distinguishes 
their  descendants.  Persecution  made  them  bigots  ;  piety 
made  them  moral ;  poverty  made  them  frugal  ;  incessant 
toil  made  them  hardy  and  robust ;  dreary  solitudes  made 
them  gloomy  nnd  superstitious  ;  their  numerous  clergy  and 
well  educated  leaders,  made  them  venerate  literature  and 
the  sciences. 

Four  of  the  New-England  colonies,  Massachusetts,  Con- 
necticut, Plymouth,  and  New-Haven,  apprehending  danger 
from  the  Indians,  from  the  Dutch,  at  New-York,  and  from 
the  French,  at  Acadia,ibrmed,  in  1G43,  a  firm  and  perpet- 
ual league,  offensive  and  defensive.  By  the  articles  uf  this 
league,  each  colony  was  to  appoint  two  commissioners, 
who  were  to  assemble,  by  rotation,  in  the  respective  colo- 
nies, and  were  empowered  to  enact  ordinances  of  general 
concern  ;  and,  in  case  of  invasion,  each  colony  was  bound, 
upon  the  application  of  three  magistrates  of  the  invaded 
colony,  to  furnish  a  stipulated  proportion  of  men  and 
money. 

Strengthened  by  this  league,  the  colonies  were  respect- 
ed by  their  civilized  and  savage  neighbors.  With  the 
French,  under  D'Aulney,  Massachusetts  had  a  long  and 
troublesome  dispute  ;  which  was  adjusted,  in  1644,  by  a 
treaty  made  by  governor  Endicott,  and  afterwards  ratified 
by  the  commissioners. 

When  representatives  were  first  chosen,  they  sat  and 
voted  in  the  same  chamber  with  the  assistants.  In  1635, 
when  Mr.  Hooker  applied  for  permission  to  form  a  settle- 
ment on  Connecticut  river,  a  majority  of  the  assistants 
voted  against  granting  permission  ;   but  a  majority  of  the 


MASSACHUSETTS. 


whole  assembly  in  favor  of  it.  The  representatives 
contended  that  a  majority  of  the  assistants  was  not  necessa- 
ry, and  that  the  vote  had  passed  in  the  affirmative.  The 
assistants  claimed  to  be  a  distinct  branch  of  the  legislature, 
and  contended  that  it  had  passed  in  the  negative. 

No  provision  having  been  made  for  a  case  of  this  kind, 
nn  adjournment,  for  a  week,  took  place  ;  n  public  fast  was 
appointed,  and  the  divine  direction  implored  in  all  the 
congregations.  When  the  assembly  again  met,  a  sermon 
was  preached,  by  Mr.  Cotton,  which  induced  the  repre* 
sentatives  to  yield  to  the  claim  of  the  assistants.  In  1644, 
the  dispute  was  renewed,  and  the  assistants  were  again 
victorious.  The  representatives  then  proposed  that  the 
two  classes  should  &it  apart,  and  form  distinct  bodies,  and 
in  this  proposition  the  assistants  concurred. 

The  contest  between  the  king  and  parliament,  at  length 
resulted  in  open  war  ;  and  the  New  England  colonies,  ac- 
tuated by  the  same  feeling  as  the  puritans  in  England,  em* 
braced,  with  ardor,  the  cause  of  the  latter.  The  parlia- 
ment rewarded  this  attachment,  by  exempting  them  from 
all  taxes  ;  and  when  the  supreme  authority  devolved  upon 
Cromwell,  as  protector  of  the  liberties  of  England,  they 
found  In  him  a  friend  no  less  sincre  and  zealous. 

After  the  conquestof  Ireland,  he  invited  them  to  return 
and  settle  in  that  country  ;  and,  subsequently,  having  con- 
quered Jamaica,  he  endeavored  to  persuade  them  to  re< 
move  to  that  fertile  island,  and  more  genial  climate.  But 
his  arguments  and  solicitations  were  unavailing.  They 
enjoyed,  in  their  present  abode,  complete  religious  free- 
dom, and  that  privilege  they  were  unwilling  to  hazard  in 
pursuit  of  advantages  less  essential  to  their  happiness. 

In  1641,  the  settlements  in  New-Hampshire  were  incbr 
porated  with  Mai^sachusetts.  And,  in  165'ir,  the  inhabitants 
of  the  province  of  Maine  were,  at  their  own  request,  ta- 
ken under  her  protection.  This  province  had  been  grant- 
ed to  Sir  Ferdinand  Gorges,  who,  in  16S9,  first  established 
a  government  over  it.  In  1640,  a  general  court  was  held 
at  Saco.  Upon  the  death  of  the  proprietor,  in  1»  49,  most 
of  the  officers  whom  he  had  appomted,  desierted  it,  and  the 
people  found  it  necessary  to  resort  elsewhere  for  pro- 
flection. 

In  1 6oG,  several  (junkers  arrived  in  the  colony.     In  this 


■'«g^;-.:«^*«**(wi^4 


34 


MASSACHUSETTS. 


r"' 


age  of  enthusiasts,  these  sectarians  surpassed  all  others  in 
enthusiasm.  Their  behavior  was  rude,  contemptuous, 
and  disorderly.  They  reviled  magistrates  and  ministers, 
and,  entering  churches  on  the  Sabbath,  disturbed  the  so- 
lemnities of  public  worship.  For  these  o£fences  they  were 
first  imprisoned,  and  then  banished.  A  law  was  passed 
prohibiting  Quakers  from  coming  into  the  colony,  imposing 
the  penalty  of  banishment  upon  the  first  ofiience,  and  of 
death  upon  such  as  should  return  afteri)anishment.  Four, 
who  were  so  infatuated  as  to  return  and  obtrude  them- 
selves upon  the  notice  of  the  government,  suffered  the  death 
which  they  appeared  to  seek.  This  cruel  and  impolitic 
law  was  soon  afterwards  repealed. 

Cromwell,  who  had  governed  England  with  greater  abili- 
ty and  higher  merit  than  most  of  her  kings,  died  in  1658, 
and  after  an  interval  of  two  years>. Charles  the  second,  a 
prince  destitute  of  honor  and  virtue,  was  recalled  from  ex- 
ile and  placed  upon  the  throne.  He  was  reluctantly  ac- 
knowledged by  the  colonies  of  New  England.  They  had 
been  the  fiworites  of  the  parliament,  and  the  protector,  and 
apprehended,  with  good  reason,  the  loss  of  their  civil  and 
rehgious  privileges. 

A  short  lime  after,  Whalley  and  Goife,  two  of  the -judges 
who  had  sentenced  Charles  the  first  to  be  beheaded,  hav- 
ing fled  before  the  return  of  his  successor,  arrived  in  New 
England.  Their  first  place  of  residence  was  Cambridge; 
but  they  often  appeared  publicly  in  Boston,  particularly 
on  Sundays  and  other  days  of  religious  solemnities.  They 
had  sustained  high  rank  in  Cromwell's  army,  were  men  of 
uncommon  talents,  and,  by  their  dignified  manners  and 
grave  deportment,  commanded  universal  respect. 

As  soon  as  it  was  known  that  they  were  excepted  from 
the  general  pardon,  the  governor  suggested  to  the  court  of 
assistants  the  expediency  of  arresting  them.  A  majority 
opposed  it,  and  many  members  of  the  general  court  gave 
them  assurances  of  protection.  Considering  themselves, 
however,  unt^afe  at  Cambridge,  they  removed  to  New  Ha^ 
ven,  where  they  were  received  with  great  respect  by  the 
clergy  and  magistrates. 

After  a  short  residence  there,  enjoying,  in  private,  the 
society  of  their  friends,  the  governor  of  Massachusetts  re- 
ceived a  mandate  to  arrest  them.    A  warrant  was  imme* 


^4 


MASSACHUSETTS. 


35 


Ointely  issued,  authorising  two  zealous  royalists  to  search 
for,  and  seize  them,  wherever  found,  in  New-England. 
They  hastened  to  the  colony  of  New-Haven,  exhibited  the 
warrant  to  the  governor,  who  resided  at  Guilford,  and  re- 
quested him  to  furnish  authority  and  assistants  to  pursue 
them.  Desirous  of  favoring  the  exiles,  he  affected  to  de- 
liberate until  the  next  morning,  and  then  utterly  declined 
acting  officially,  without  the  advice  of  his  council. 

In  the  mean  time,  they  were  apprized  of  their  danger, 
and  retired  to  a  new  place  ot"  concealment.  The  pursuers, 
on  arriving  at  New-Haven,  searched  every  suspected 
house,  except  the  one  where  the  judges  wore  concealed. 
This  they  began  to  search,  but  were  induced,  by  the  ad- 
dress of  the  mistress  of  it,  to  desist.  When  the  pursuers 
had  departed,  the  judges,  retiring  into  the  woods,  fixed 
their  abode  in  a  cave. 

Having  there  heard  that  their  friends  were  threatened 
with  punishment,  for  having  afforded  them  protection, 
they  came  from  their  hiding  place  for  the  purpose  of  de- 
livering themselves  up ;  but  their  friends,  actuated  by 
feelings  equally  noble  and  generous,  persuaded  them  to  re- 
linquish their  intention.  Soon  afler,  they  removed  to  Mil- 
ford,  where  they  remained  about  two  years. 

Upon  the  arrival  of  other  persons,  instructed  to  appre- 
hend thsm,  they  repaired  privately  to  Hadley,  in  Massa- 
chusetts, where  they  resided  tifteen  or  sixteen  years,  but 
few  persons  being  acquainted  with  the  place  of  their  con- 
cealment. There  is,  in  that  neighborhood,  n  tradition, 
that  many  years  afterwards  two.  graves  were  discovered 
in  the  minister's  cellar ;  and  In  these,  it  was  supposed, 
they  had  been  interred.  At  New-Haven,  two  graves  are 
shown,  said  to  be  those  of  the  two  judges.  It  is  not  im- 
probable that  their  remains  were  removed  to  this  place 
from  Hadley. 

A  singular  incident  which  occurred  at  the  latter  place, 
in  1676,  shows  that  one  of  these  illustrious  exiles  had  not 
forgotten  the  avocations  of  his  youth.  The  people,  at  the 
time  of  public  worship,  were  alarmed  by  an  attack  from 
the  Indians,  and  thrown  into  the  utmost  confusion.  Sud- 
denly,  a  grave,  elderly  person  appeared,  differing  in  his 
mien  and  dress  from  all  around  him.  He  put  himself  at 
their  head,  rallied,  encouraged,  and  led  them  against  the 


36 


MASSACHUSETTS. 


enemy,  who  were  repulsed  and  completely  defeated.  As 
suddenly,  the  deliverer  of  Hadley  disappeared.  The 
people  were  lost  m  amazement,  and  many  verily  believed 
that  an  angel  sent  from  he^tven  had  led  them  to  victory. 

Their  treatment  of  the  king's  judges,  and  in  truth  all 
their  conduct,  evinced  the  republican  spirit  of  the  colo- 
nists. By  the  royal  government  of  England,  they  could 
not,  therefore,  be  regarded  with  favor.  In  1663,  it  was 
enacted,  that  no  European  commodity  should  be  imported 
into  the  colonies,  unless  shipped  directly  from  Englandj 
and  in  British  vessels.  By  this  regulation,  in  connection 
with  others  that  had  been  previously  made,  all  the  trade 
of  the  colonies  was  secured  to  the  mother  country.  They 
submitted  reluctantly  to  ihese  restrictions,  and  often  made 
them  the  subject  of  complaint.  But  England,  believing 
that  they  augmented  her  wealth  and  power,  obstinately  re- 
fused to  repeal  them. 

In  1664,  the  king  despatched  four  commissioners  to  vis- 
it the  several  colonies  in  New-England,  to  examine  into 
their  condition,  to  hear  and  decide  complaints,  and  to  make 
to  him  a  report  of  their  proceedings  and  observations. 
This  measure  was  dictated  by  no  friendly  motive,  and  was 
consicicred  by  the  colonies  as  a  violation  of  their  charters, 

The  first  session  of  the  commissioners  was  at  Plymouth, 
where  but  little  business  was  transacted  ;  the  next  in 
Rhode-Island,  where  they  heard  complaints  from  the  In- 
dians, and  all  who  were  discontented,  and  made  divers  de- 
terminations respecting  titles  to  land,  which  were  but  lit- 
tle regarded.  In  Massachusetts,  the  general  court  com- 
plied with  such  of  their  requisitions  as  they  thought  pro- 
per ;  but,  professing  sincere  loyalty  to  his  majesty,  de- 
clined acknowledging  their  authority,  and  protested  against 
the  exercise  of  it  within  their  limits. 

In  consequence  of  this  manly  assertion  of  their  char- 
tered rights,  an  angry  correspondence  took  place  be- 
tween them,  at  the  close  of  which  the  commissioners  pet- 
ulantly told  the  general  court,  "  that  they  would  lose  no 
more  of  their  labors  upon  them,"  but  would  represent 
their  conduct  to  his  majesty. 

From  Boston,  the  commissioners  proceeded  to  New- 
Hampshire,  where  they  exercised  several  act»  of  govern- 
ment, and  offered  to  release  the  inhabitants  from  the  juris- 


MASSACHUSETTS. 


37 


uiction  of  Massachusetts  This  offer  was  almost  unani- 
mously rejected.  In  Maine,  they  excited  more  disturbance. 
They  encouraged  the  people  to  declare  themselves  inde- 
pendent, and  found  many  disposed  to  listen  to  their  sugges' 
tions  ;  but  Massachusetts,  by  a  prompt  and  vigorous  exer- 
tion of  power,  constrained  the  disaffected  to  submit  to  her 
authority. 

Connecticut  appears  to  have  been  the  favorite  of  the 
commissioners.  She  treated  them  with  respect,  and  com- 
plied with  their  requisitions.  In  return,  they  made  such 
a  representation  of  her  merits  to  the  king,  as  to  draw  from 
him  a  letter  of  thanks.  "Although,"  says  he,  "your 
carriage  doth  of  itself  most  justly  deserve  our  praise  and 
approbation,  yet  it  seems  to  be  set  off  with  more  luster  by 
the  contrary  behavior  of  the  colony  of  Massachusetts." 

At  the  end  of  fifty  years  from  the  arrival  of  the  emi- 
grants at  Plymouth,  the  New-England  colonies  were  sup- 
posed to  contain  one  hundred  and  twenty  towns,  and  as 
many  thousand  inhabitants.  The  acts  of  parliament  not 
being  rigidly  enforced,  their  trade  had  become  extensive 
and  profitable.  The  habits  of  industry  and  economy, 
which  had  been  formed  in  less  happy  times,  continued  to 
prevail,  and  gave  a  competency  to  those  who  had  nothing, 
and  wealth  to  those  who  had  a  competency.  The  wilder- 
ness receded  before  adventurous  and  hardy  laborers,  and 
its  savage  inhabitants  found  their  game  dispersed,  and  their 
favorite  haunts  invaded. 

This  was  the  natural  consequence  of  the  sales  of  land, 
which  were,  at  all  times,  readily  made  to  the  whites.  But 
this  consequence  the  Indians  did  not  foresee  ;  and  when 
they  felt  it  in  all  its  force,  the  strongest  passions  were 
awakened  which  can  animate  civilized  or  savage  man,  the 
love  of  country  and  of  independence. 

A  leader  only  was  wanting  to  concentrate  and  direct 
their  exertions,  and  Philip,  of  Pokanoket,  sachem  of  a 
tribe  living  within  the  boundaries  of  Plymouth  and  Rhode 
Island,  assumed  that  honorable,  but  dangerous,  station. 
His  father  was  the  friend,  but  he  had  ever  been  the  ene; 
my,  of  the  whites ;  and  this  enmity,  arising  from  causes  of 
national  concern,  had  been  embittered  to  vindictive  hatred 
by  their  conduct  towards  his  elder  brother.  This  brother^, 
being  suspected  of  plotting  against  them,  was  seized  by  a 

4 


^, 


MASSACHUSETTS. 


detachment  of  soldiers,  and  confined  ;  and  the  indignity  sc 
Trrought  upon  his  proud  spirit,  as  to  produce  a  fever  that 
put  an  end  to  his  life. 

Phihp  inherited  the  authority  and  proud  spirit  of  his 
brother.  He  exerted  all  the  arts  of  intrigue,  and  powers 
of  persuasion,  of  which  he  was  master,  to  induce  the  In- 
dians, in  all  parts  of  New- England,  to  unite  their  efforts 
for  the  destruction  of  the  whites.  He  succeeded  in  form- 
ing a  confederacy,  able  to  send" into  action  between  three 
and  four  thousand  warriors. 

The  English  were  apprized  of  the  plots  of  the  Indians, 
and  made  preparations  to  meet  their  hostilities.  Thev 
hoped,  however,  that  the  threatened  storm  would  pass  by, 
as  others  had,  and  that  peace  would  be  preserved.  But. 
the  insolence  of  PhiHp,  and  the  number  of  his  adherents, 
increased  daily  ;  and,  in  June,  1676,  some  of  them  enter- 
ed the  town  of  Swanzey,  in  Plymouth,  where,  after  slaugh 
tering  the  cattle,  and  plundering  the  houses,  they  fired 
upon  the  inhabitants,  killing  and  wounding  several. 
•  The  troops  of  that  colony  marched  immediately  to  Swan- 
zey, and  were  soon  joined  by  a  detachment  from  Massa- 
chusetts. The  Indians  fled,  and  marked  the  course  of 
their  flight  by  burning  the  buildings,  and  fixing  on  poles, 
by  the  way  side,  the  hands,  scalps,  and  heads  of  the  whites 
whom  they  had  killed.  The  troops  pursued,  but  unable 
to  overtake  them,  returned  to  Swanzey. 

The  whole  country  was  jilarmed,  and  the  number  of 
troops  augmented.  By  this  array  of  force,  Philip  was  in 
duced  to  quit  his  residence  at  Mount  Hope,  and  take  post 
near  a  swamp  at  Pocasset.  At  that  place,  the  English  at- 
tacked him,  hut  were  repulsed.  Sixteen  were  killed,  and 
the  Indians,  by  this  success,  were  made  bolder. 

At  this  time,  most  of  the  settlements  were  surroiindecl 
by  thick  forests,  and  the  Indians  lived  intermixed  with  the 
whites.  The  former  were  acquainted,  of  course,  with 
the  dwellings  of  the  latter,  with  their  roads,  and  places  of 
resort ;  could  watch  their  motions,  and  fall  upon  them  in 
their  defenceless  and  unguarded  moments.  Many  werf 
shot  dead  as  they  opened  their  doors  in  the  morning  : 
many  while  at  work  in  their  fields,  and  others jivhilc  tra- 
velling to  visit  their  neighbors,  or  to  places  of  worship. 
At  all  times,  at  all  places,  in  all  employments,  were  their 


MASSACHUSETTS. 


lives  in  jeopardy  ;  and  no  one  could  tell  but  that,  in  the 
next  moment,  he  should  receive  his  death  shot  from  his 
barn,  the  thicket,  or  the  way  side. 

Whenever  the  enemy  assembled  in  force,  detachments 
were  sent  against  them  ;  if  weaker  than  these,  they  would 
retreat ;  if  stronpjer,  assault  and  conquer  them.  Defence- 
less villages  were  suddenly  attacked,  the  houses  burned, 
and  the  men,  women,  and  children  killed,  or  carried  into 
captivity.  Their  ruin  was  the  work  of  a  moment;  and 
when  accomplished,  its  authors  vanished. 

The  colonies,  losing  individuals,  families  and  village?, 
found  their  numbers  sensibly  diminished ;  their  strength 
impaired;  and  began  to  apprehen'  even  total  extinction. 
Nothing  but  a  vigorous  effort  could  save  them.  The  com- 
missioners met,  and  determined  to  despatch  an  army  of  a 
thousand  men,  to  attack  the  principal  position  of  the  ene- 
my. Josiah  Winslow,  governor  of  Plymouth,  was  appoint- 
ed  commander-in-chief ;  and  a  solemn  fast,  to  invoke  '.he 
divine  aid,  was  proclaimed  throughout  New-England. 

On  tb  18th  of  December,  the  different  bodies  of  troops 
formed  a  junction  at  a  place  in  the  country  of  the  Narra- 
gansets,  about  fifteen  miles  from  the  enemy.  The  weather 
was  extremely  cold,  but  the  men,  from  necessity,  passed 
the  night,  uncovered,  in  the  fields.  At  dawn  of  day,  they 
began  their  march,  wading  through  the  deep  snow,  and ot 
one  o'clock,  arrived  near  the  enemy's  post,  which  was 
upon  a  rising  ground,  in  the  midst  of  a  swamp.  it  was 
surrounded  by  palisades,  and  on  the  outside  of  these  was 
a  fence  of  brush,  a  rod  in  width. 

Her6  was  fought  the  most  desperate  battle  recorded  in 
the  early  annals  of  the  country .  It  continued  three  hours. 
The  English  obtained  a  decisive  victory.  One  thousand 
Indian  warriors  were  killed  ;  three  hundred  more,  and  as 
many  women  and  children  were  made  prisoners.  But 
dearly  was  the  victory  purchased.  Six  brave  captains,  and 
eighty  men,  were  killed,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  were 
wounded. 

From  this  blow,  the  confederated  Indians  never  recov- 
ered ;  but  they  still  remained  sufficiently  strong  to  harass 
the  settlements  by  continual  inroads.  In  retaliation,  the 
English  sent  several  detachments  into  their  territories, 
nenrly  all  of  which  were  successful.    Captain  Church,  of 


40 


MASSACHUSETTS. 


;% 


Plymouth,  and  Captnin  Dennison,  of  Connecticut,  were 
conspicuous  for  their  bravery  and  good  fortune. 

In  the  midst  of  these  reverses,  Philip  remained  firm  j^nd 
unshaken.  His  warriors  were  cut  off;  his  chief  men,  his 
wife  and  family,  were  killed  or  taken  prisoners  ;  and  at 
these  successive  misfortunes,  he  is  represented  to  have 
wept  with  a  bitterness  which  proved  him  to  possess  the 
noblest  of  human  virtues  and  affections  ;  but  he  disdained 
to  listen  to  any  offers  of  peace.  He  even  shot  one  of  his 
men,  who  proposed  submission.  At  length,  after  being 
hunted  from  swamp  to  swamp,  he  was  himself  shot,  by  the 
brother  of  the  Indian  he  had  killed.  Atler  his  death,  the 
remnant  of  his  followers  either  submitted  to  the  English, 
or  united  with  distant  tribes. 

Never  was  peace  more  welcome,  for  never  had  war 
been  more  distressing.  The  whole  population  was  in 
mourning  for  relatives  slain.  Nearly  a  thousand  houses 
had  been  burned,  and  goods  and  cattle  of  great  value,  had 
been  plundered  or  destroyed.  The  colonies  had  contracted 
A  heavy  debt,  which,  their  resources  having  been  so  much 
diminished,  they  found  an  almost  insupportable  burden. 
But,  in  their  deepest  distress,  they  forebure  to  apply  to  the 
mother  country  for  assistance ;  and  this  omission  excited  sur- 
prise and  jealousy.  *'  You  act,"  said  a  privy  counsellor, 
'<  as  though  you  were  independent  of  our  master's  crown  ; 
and  though  poor,  yet  you  are  proud.'* 

In  1680,  New-Hampshire,  at  the  solicitation  of  John 
Mason,  to  whose  ancestor  a  part  of  the  territory  had  been 
grsfhted,  was  constituted  a  separate  colony.  Massachu- 
setts, apprehending  the  loss  of  Maine  also,  purchased  of 
the  heirs  of  Gorges,  their  claim  to  the  soil  and  jurisdic- 
tion, for  twelve  hundred  and  fifty  pounds. 

The  disregard  of  the  acts  of  trade  had  given  great  of- 
fence to  the  mother  country,  and  the  Governors  of  New- 
England  were  peremptorily  required  to  enforce  them. 
But  being  enacted  by  a  parliament  in  which  the  colonies 
were  not  represented,  they  were  regarded  as  violations  of 
their  rights,  and  continued  to  be  evaded  with  impunity. 
Edward  Randolph  was  therefore  sent  over,  commissioned 
as  inspector  of  the  customs  in  New-England.  He  was  also 
the  bearer  of  a  letler  from  the  king,  requiring  that  agents 
should  be  sent  to  the  court  of  London,  fully  empowered 
to  act  for  the  colonies. 


MASSACHUSETTS, 


4} 


ut,  were 

firm  !^nci 
men,  his 
;    and  at 

to  have 
ssess  the 
jisdained 
le  of  his 
er  being 
it,  by  the 
jath,  the 

English, 

had  war 
I  was  in 
d  houses 
)lue,  had 
)ntracted 
so  much 
burden. 
)ly  to  the 
:ited  sur- 
unsellor, 
s  crown ; 

of  John 
lad  been 
assachu- 
hased  of 
jurisdic- 

great  of- 
of  New- 
e  them, 
colonies 
ations  of 
npunity. 
lissioned 
was  also 
it  agents 
owerec\ 


■f«f 


•'$ 


It  was  well  understood  to  be  the  intention  of  the  king  to 
{procure,  from  the  agents,  a  surrender  of  the  charters,  or 
to  annul  them  by  a  suit  in  his  courts,  that  he  might  him- 
self place  officers  over  the  colonies,  who  would  be  sub- 
servient  to  his  views«  The  inhabitants  of  Massachusetts 
felt  that  to  be  deprived  of  their  charter,  which  secured  to 
them  the  right  of  self-government,  would  be  the  greatest 
of  calamities  ;  and  their  agents  were  instructed,  in  no 
emergency,  to  surrender  it.  This  being  known  to  the 
king,  a  prosecution  was  instituted  against  the  corporation, 
and,  in  1684,  a  subservient  court  decreed  that  the  charter 
should  be  cancelled.  ^'> 

All  impediments  to  the  exercise  of  the  royal  will  being 
thus  removed,  king  James  established  a  temporary  govern- 
ment over  the  colony,  first  appointing  Joseph  Dudley,  and, 
in  1686,  Sir  Edmund  Andross,  governor.  This  latter  ap- 
pointment caused  the  most  gloomy  forebodings.  Sir  Ed- 
mund had  been  governor  of  New- York,  and  it  was  known 
that  his  conduct  there  had  been  arbitrary  and  tyrannical. 

Having  secured  a  majority  in  the  council,  he  assumed 
control  over  the  press,  appointing  Randolph  licenser.*  He 
established  new  and  oppressive  regulations  concerning 
taxes,  public  worship,  marriages,  and  the  settlement  of  es- 
tates. He,  and,  by  his  permission,  his  subordinate  officers, 
extorted  enormous  fees  for  their  services.  He  declared  that, 
the  charter  being  cancelled,  the  old  titles  to  land  were  of 
no  validity,  and  compelled  the  inhabitants,  in  order  to  avoid 
suits  before  judges  dependent  on  his  will,  to  take  out  new 
patents,  for  which  large  sums  were  demanded. 

The  hatred  of  the  people  was  excited  in  proportion  to 
their  sufferings.  In  the  beginning  of  1 689,  a  rumor  reach- 
ed Boston,  that  William,  prince  of  Orange,  had  invaded 
England,  with  the  intention  of  dethroning  the  king.  An- 
imated by  the  hope  of  deliverance,  the  people  rushed 
spontaneously  to  arms,  took  possession  of  the  fort,  seized 
Andross,  Randolph,  and  other  obnoxious  persons,  and 
placed  them  in  confinement.  A  council  of  safety,  consist- 
ing of  their  former  magistrates,  was  then  organized,  to  ad- 
minister the  government  until  authentic  intelligence  should 
be  received  from  England. 

In  a  few  weeks  a  ship  arrived,  bringing  the  glad  tidings 
that  William  and  Mary  were  firmly  seated  on  the  throne-. 


*ft 


42 


MASSACHUSETTS. 


I 


•■% 


They  were  immediately  proclaimed,  in  all  the  coloniesf^ 
with  unusual  rejoicings.  The  people  of  Massachusetts 
applied  for  the  restoration  of  their  old,  or  the  grant  of  a 
new  charter.  A  definite  answer  was  deferred,  but  the 
council  was  authorized  to  administer  the  government,  ac- 
cording to  the  provisions  of  the  old  charter,  until  further 
directions  should  be  given.  Andross,  Randolph,  and  oth- 
ers, were  ordered  home  for  trial. 

In  this  unsettled  state  of  the  country,  the  French  in 
Canada  and  Nova  Scotia,  instigated  the  northern  and  east- 
ern Indians  to  commence  hostilities  against  the  English 
settlements.  Dover  and  Salmon  Falls,  in  New-Hamp- 
shire, Casco,  in  Maine,  and  Schenectady,  in  New- York, 
were  attacked  by  different  parties  of  French  and  Indians, 
and  the  most  shocking  barbarities  perpetrated  upon  the 
inhabitants. 

Regarding  Canada  as  the  principal  source  of  their  mi- 
series, New-England  and  New-York  formed  the  bold  pro- 
ject of  reducing  it  to  subjection.  By  great  exertion,  they 
raised  an  army,  which,  under  the  command  of  General 
Winthrop,  was  sent  against  Montreal,  and  equipped  a  fleet, 
which,  commanded  by  Sir  William  Phipps,  was  destined 
to  attack  Quebec. 

Both  returned  unsuccessful,  disappointing  the  sanguine 
hopes  of  the  people,  and  burdening  them  with  a  debt  which 
they  had  not  the  means  of  discharging.  To  pay  off  hei 
troops,  Massachusetts  put  in  circulation  bills  of  credit,  or 
paper  money,  an  expedient  which  was  afterwards  often 
resorted  to,  and,  though  it  afforded  relief  at  the  moment, 
produced,  in  its  consequences,  extensive  and  complicated 
mischief. 

In  the  mean  time,  a  new  charter  had  been  granted  to 
Massachusetts,  which  added  Plymouth,  Maine,  and  Nova- 
Scotia,  to  her  territory.  The  only  privilege  it  allowed  to 
the  people  was,  the  choice  of  representatives.  These 
were  to  elect  a  council,  and  both  bodies  were  to  constitute 
the  legislative  power. 

It  reserved  to  the  king  the  right  of  appointing  the  gov- 
ernor and  lieutenfint  governor.  To  the  governor  it  gave 
the  power  of  rejecting  laws,  of  negativing  the  choice  of 
counsellors,  of  appointing  all  military  and  judicial  officers, 
of  adjourning  and  even  of  dissolving  the  assembly  at  plea- 


% 


MASSACHUSKTTS. 


43 


sure.  Laws,  although  npproved  by  him,  might  be  abro- 
gated by  the  king,  within  three  years  after  their  enact- 
ment. 

The  king,  to  render  the  new  charter  more  acceptable, 
appointed  Sir  William  Phiips,  a  native  of  the  province, 
governor,  and  in  1692,  he  arrived  at  Boston.  The  new 
government  went  into  operation  without  any  opposition 
from  the  inhabitants ;  and  almost  the  first  act  of  Sir  Wil- 
liam Phipps  and  his  council,  was  the  institution  of  a  cdurt 
to  try  the  unfortunate  victims  of  popular  delusion,  accused 
of  witchcraft,  at  Salem. 

The  belief  ill  this  supposed  crime,  had  been  so  preva- 
lent in  England,  that  parliament  had  enacted  a  law  punish- 
ing it  with  death.  Under  this  law,  multitudes  had  been 
tried  and  executed  in  that  country,  and  two  or  three  in 
Massachusetts,  some  of  whom  acknowledged  they  were 
guilty.  Accounts  of  these  trials  and  confessions,  and  par- 
ticularly of  some  trials  before  Sir  Matthew  Hale,  a  judge 
revered  in  the  colonies,  had  been  published  and  distrib- 
uted throughout  the  country.  They  were  read,  in  a  time 
of  deep  distress  and  gloom,  by  a  people  naturally  sedate, 
and  accustomed  to  regard  witli  awe  the  surprising  and  un- 
accountable incidents  and  appearances  which,  in  this  new 
world,  were  often  presented  to  their  contemplation. 

In  February,  IG92,  a  daughter  and  a  niece  of  Mr.  Paris, 
the  minister  of  Salem,  were  afflicted  with  disorders  affect- 
ing their  bodies  in  the  most  singular  manner.  The  physi- 
cians, unable  to  .account  for  their  contortions,  pronounced 
them  bewitched  ;  and  the  children,  hearing  of  this,  de- 
clared that  an  Indian  woman,  who  lived  in  the  house,  was 
the  cause  of  their  torments.  Mr.  Paris  concurred  with 
the  physicians.  Several  private  fasts  were  kept  at  his 
house,  and  the  gloom  was  increased  by  a  solemn  fast 
throughout  the  colony. 

The  Indian  woman  confessed  herself  guilty.  The  chil- 
dren were  visited,  noticed,  and  pitied.  This  encouraged 
them  to  persevere,  and  other  children,  either  from  sym- 
pathy or  the  desire  of  similar  attentions,  exhibited  similar 
contortions.  A  distracted  old  woman,  imd  one  who  had 
been  a  long  time  confined  to  her  bed,  were  added  to  the 
list  of  the  accused  ;  and,  in  the  progress  of  the  infatuation, 
women  of  mature  age  united  i^ih  the  children  in  their 
accusations. 


•-<.'•*> 


:3tel: 


41 


MASSAUUUSETTS. 


The  accused  were  multiplied  in  proportion  to  the  ac- 
cusers. Children  accused  their  parents,  and  parents  their 
children.  A  word  from  those  who  were  supposed  to  be 
afflicted,  occasioned  the  arrest  of  the  devoted  victim  ;  and 
so  firmly  convinced  were  the  magistrates,  that  the  prince 
of  darkness  was  in  the  midst  of  them,  using  human  instru- 
ments to  accomplish  his  purposes,  that  the  slightest  testi- 
mony was  deemed  suflicient  to  justify  a  commitment  for 
trial. 

The  court,  specially  instituted  for  this  purpose,  held  a 
session  in  June,  and  afterwards  several  others  by  adjourn- 
ment. Many  were  tried,  and  received  sentence  of  death. 
A  few  pleaded  guilty.  Several  were  convicted  upon  tes- 
timony, which,  at  other  times,  would  not  have  induced 
suspicion  of  an  ordinary  crime,  .and  some  upon  testimony 
retracted  after  conviction.  Nineteen  were  executed,  and 
many  yet  remained  to  be  tried. 

At  this  stage  of  the  proceedings,  the  legislature  estab- 
lished, by  law,  a  permanent  court,  by  which  the  other  was 
superseded,  <nnd  fixed  a  distant  day  for  its  first  session,  at 
Salem.  In  the  mean  time,  the  accusations  multiplied,  and 
additional  jails  were  required  to  hold  the  accused.  The 
impostors,  hardened  by  impunity  and  success,  ascended 
from  decrepid  old  women,  to  respectable  characters,  and 
at  length,  in  their  ravings,  named  ministers  of  the  gospel, 
and  even  the  wife  of  the  governor. 

The  community  were  thrown  into  consternation.  Each 
felt  alarm  for  himself,  his  family,  and  his  friends.  The 
shock  roused  them  to  reflection.  They  considered  more 
closely  the  character  of  the  accusers  ;  the  nature  of  the 
alleged  crime  ;  the  testimony,  often  contradictory  and 
never  explicit ;  and  more  than  all  these,  the  high  standing 
of  some  who  were  implicated  ;  and  began  to  doubt  wheth- 
er ihey  had  not  been  too  credulous  and  precipitate. 

At  the  next  term,  the  grand  jury  found  indictments 
against  fifty ;  but,  on  trial,  all  were  acquitted  except  three, 
and  them  the  governor  reprieved.  He  also  directed  that 
all  who  were  in  prison  should  be  set  at  liberty.  A  belief, 
however,  of  the  truth  of  the  charges,  still  lingered  among- 
the  people,  and  prevented  any  prosecution  of  the  impos- 
tors. That  all  were  in'postors,  cannot  be  believed.  Many 
must  have  acted  under  the  influence  of  a  disordered  ima- 


:»' 


MASSACHUSETTS. 


45 


:s 


gination,  which  the  attendant  circumstances  were  well 
calculated  to  produce. 

Besides  establis^hing  courts  of  justice,  the  lojfislature,  at 
its  first  session  under  the  new  charter,  passed  a  law  which 
indicates  the  same  independent  spirit  that  afterwards  re- 
sisted the  usurpations  of  the  British  parliament.  It  pro- 
vided that  no  tax  should  be  imposed  upon  any  of  his  ma- 
jesty's subjects,  or  their  estates,  in  the  province,  but  by 
the  act  and  consent  of  the  governor,  council,  and  repre- 
sentatives of  the  people,  in  general  court  assembled.  It 
is  almost  superfluous  to  say,  that  this  law  was  dihallowed 
by  the  king. 

The  war  with  the  French  and  Indians,  which  began  in 
1690,  ^as  not  yet  terminated.  For  seven  years  were  the 
frontier  settlements  harassed  by  the  savages ;  and  the  English 
employed  in  expeditions  against  thefti.  A  history  of  these 
would  consist  only  of  repeated  accounts  of  Indian  cunning 
and  barbarity,  and  of  English  enterprise  and  fortitude. 
Peace  between  England  and  France,  which  took  place  in 
1697,  was  soon  followed  by  peace  with  the  savages. 

But  in  a  few  years,  war  again  broke  out  in  Europe,  which 
was  the  t^iignal  for  hostilities  in  America.  The  first  blow 
fell  upon  Deerfield.  In  February,  1704,  it  was  surprised 
in  the  night,  about  forty  persons  were  killed,  and  more 
than  one  hundred  made  prisoners,  among  whom  were  Mr. 
Williams,  the  minister,  and  his  family.  The  killed  were 
scalped,  and  the  prisoners  commanded  to  prepare  for  a 
long  march  to  Canada. 

On  the  second  day,  Mrs,  Williams  was  so  exhausted  with 
fatigue  that  she  could  go  no  farther.  Her  husband  solicit- 
ed permission  to  remain  with  her ;  but  the  retreating  sa- 
vages, according  to  their  custom  in  such  cases,  killed  her 
and  compelled  him  to  proceed.  Before  the  termination 
of  their  journey,  twenty  more  became  unable  to  walk,  and 
were  in  like  manner  sacrificed.  Those  who  survived  the 
journey  to  Canada  were  treated  by  the  French  with  hu- 
manity ;  and  after  a  captivity  of  many  years,  most  of  them 
were  redeemed,  and  returned  to  their  friends. 

New- York  having  agreed  with  the  French  and  the  western 
Indians  to  remain  neutral,  these  were  enabled  to  pour  their 
whole  force  upon  Massachusetts  and  New-Hampshire,  the 
inhabitants  of  which,  for  ten  years,  endured  miseries  pecu- 


46 


MASSACHUSLTTH. 


liar  to  an  Indian  war,  and  more  distressing  than  tlieir  de- 
scendants can  well  im:igine.  The  enemy  were  at  all  time^ 
prowling  ahout  the  frontier  settlements,  watching  in  con* 
cealment  for  an  opportunity  to  strike  a  sudden  blow  and  fly 
with  safety.  The  women  and  children  retired  into  the 
garrisons  ;  the  men  left  their  tields  uncultivated,  or  labored 
with  arms  at  their  sides,  and  with  sentinels  at  every  point 
whence  an  attack  could  be  apprehended. 

Yet  notwithstanding  these  precautions,  the  enemy  were 
often  successful,  killing  sometimes  an  individual  only,  some- 
limes  a  whole  fimiiy,  sometimes  a  band  of  laborers,  ten  oi 
twelve  in  number ;  and  so  swift  were  they  in  their  move- 
ments,  that  but  few  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  whites.  It 
was  computed,  that  the  sum  of  one  thousand  pounds  were 
expended  for  every  Indian  killed  or  made  captive. 

In  1707,  Massachusetts,  New-Hamp!«hire,  and  Rhode 
Island  despatched  an  armament  against  Fort  Royal,  in  No- 
va->Scotia,  which  was  then  in  possession  of  the  French.  It 
returned  without  accomplishing  its  object.  In  1710  New- 
England,  assisted  by  a  fleet  furnished  by  the  mother  coun- 
try, succeeded  in  reducing  the  place ;  and  its  name,  in  com- 
pliment to  queen  Anne,  was  changed  to  Annapolis. 

The  success  of  this  enterprise  encouraged  the  comman- 
der, general  Nicholson,  to  visit  England  and  propose  an 
expedition  against  Canada.  His  proposition  was  adopted, 
and  in  June,  171),  admiral  Walker,  with  a  fleet  of  fifteen 
ships  of  war  and  forty  transports,  bringing  an  army  of  ve- 
teran troops,  arrived  at  Boston.  Taking  on  board  two  ad- 
ditional regiments,  he  sailed  from  that  port  about  the  last 
of  July.  At  the  same  time,  general  Nicholson  repaired  to 
Albany  to  take  command  of  the  troops  that  were  to  proceed 
by  land. 

When  the  fleet  had  advanced  ten  leagues  up  the  river 
St.  Lawrence,  the  weather  became  tempestuous  r^nd  foggy. 
A  difference  of  opinion  arose  concerning  the  course  to  be 
pursued,  the  English  pilots  recommending  one  course,'and 
the  colonial  another.  The  admiral,  entertaining,  like  all 
other  English  officers,  an  opinion  of  the  abilities  of  the  co- 
lonists corresponding  with  their  dependent  condition,  adopt- 
ed the  advice  of  his  own  pilots.  Pursuing  the  course  they 
recommended,  nine  transports  were  driven,  about  midnight^ 
upon  the  rocks  and  dashed  to  pieces. 


ir', 


1 


MASSACIIUSGTT«<. 


47 


llieir  do- 
lt »U  timeK 
ng  in  con- 
3W  and  fly 
d  into  the 
or  labored 
very  point 

omy  were 
nly.some- 
;ra,  ten  oi 
leir  move- 
irhites.  It 
ands  were 
^e. 

nd  Rhode 
^al,  in  No- 
rench.  1< 
710  New 
Iher  coun 
le,  in  corn- 
is. 

i  comman- 
ropose  an 
IS  adopted, 
;  of  fifteen 
my  of  ve- 
rd  two  ad- 
ut  the  last 
'epaired  to 
to  proceed 

i  the  river 
pnd  foggy, 
urse  to  be 
ourse,'and 
]g,  like  all 
of  the  CO- 
ion,  adopt- 
aurse  they 
t  midnight, 


) 


From  every  quarter  cries  of  distress  arose,  conveying, 
through  the  durkneMS,  to  those  who  were  yot  afloiit,  intel- 
ligence of  the  fiite  of  their  comrades  and  of  their  own  dan- 
ger. The  shrieks  of  the  drowning  pleaded  powerfully  for 
assistance,  but  none  could  be  aflbrded  until  the  morning 
dawned,  w.^on  six  or  seven  hundred,  found  floating  on  the 
scattered  wrecks,  were  rescued  from  death,  more  than  a 
thousand  having  sunk  to  rise  no  more.  No^  a  single  Ameri- 
can was  lost. 

Wr  01  ^  by  this  terrible  disaster,  the  admiral  deter- 
miue(.  '  jrn  to  England,  where  he  arrived  in  the  month 
of  October.  Thither  misfortune  attended  him.  On  the 
fifteenth,  his  ship  blew  up  and  four  hundred  seamen  pe- 
rished. The  New-England  troops  returned  to  their  homes, 
and  Nicholson,  having  learned  the  fate  of  the  fleet,  led  back 
his  troops  to  Albany.  The  next  year  the  colonies  found 
no  repose.  In  1713,  France  and  England  made  peace  at 
Utrecht,  and,  in  the  sattie  year,  peace  was  concluded  with 
the  Indians. 

Such  was  the  destruction  of  lives  in  this?  war,  that  the 
population  of  New- England  was  sensibly  retarded.  Her 
expenses  were  also  enormous.  Although  the  annual  taxes 
paid  by  the  inhabitants,  were  greater  than  in  any  other  por- 
tion of  the  British  empire,  yet  the  colonies  most  exposed, 
were  burdened,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  with  a  heavy  debt, 
in  the  shape  of  bills  of  credit,  or  paper  money,  which  im- 
peded their  prosperity,  perplexing  individuals  and  the  go- 
vemment'in  all  tlieir  transactions. 

In  1716,  Samuel  Shute,  a  colonel  in  the  army  of  the  ce- 
lebrated duke  of*  Marlborough,  was  appointed  governor.^ 
On  his  arrival  in  the  province,  he  found  the  people  divided 
into  two  parties,  one  in  favor  of  a  public  bank,  which  had 
just  been  established,  the  other  of  the  incorporation  of  a 
private  bank.  He  joined  the  former,  the  latter  of  course 
became  hostile ;  and,  led  by  a  Mr.  Cooke,  opposed  with 
virulence  all  his  measures. 

In  1720,  this  party,  embracing  a  majority  of  the  repre- 
sentatives, elected  their  leader  speaker.  The  choice  was 
communicated  to  the  governor,  who  interposed  his  negative. 
The  house  persisted  in  their  choice,  denying  his  right  to 
interfere.  The  controversy  continued  several  days,  when 
the  governor  dissolved  the  assembly,  and  directed  that  a 
new  election  should  be  made  by  the  people. 


48 


MASSACHUSETTS. 


( 


)  - 


The  charter  not  giving,  in  express  terms,  to  the  govern 
or,  the  power  to  reject  a  speaker,  the  people  resolved  to 
support  their  representatives,  and  nearly  all  of  them  were 
again  elected.  When  met,  to  avoid  a  second  dissolution, 
the}'  chose  a  Mr.  Lindall  speaker  ;  but  in  a  warm  remon° 
strance  to  the  governor,  condemned  his  conduct,  and  re- 
asserted their  sole  and  exclusive  right  to  choose  their  pre- 
siding  officer. 

The  session  was  short,  and  but  little  was  done  that  did 
not  display  the  angry  feelings  of  the  house.  Instead  of 
six  hundred  pounds,  the  usual  grant  to  the  governor  for 
half  a  year's  salary,  they  appropriated  but  five  hundred,  and, 
as  a  mark  of  their  displeasure,  deferred  that  act  until  near 
the  close  of  the  session. 

At  their  next  meeting,  the  same  feelings  prevailed  and 
the  same  diminished  sum  was  voted.  The  governor  then 
informed  them,  that  he  had  been  instructed  by  the  king  to 
recommend  to  the  assembly,  to  establish  for  him  a  perma- 
nent and  honorable  salary.  The  house,  aware  of  the  im- 
portance of  retaining  the  power  of  gmnting  such  sums  as 
the  governor  might  merit  by  his  conduct,  replied,  that  the 
subject  was  new,  and  expressed  a  wish  that  the  court  might 
rise.     With  this  request  the  governor  complied. 

This  disagreement  continued,  the  ill  temper  of  both  par- 
ties increasing,  through  several  subsequent  sessions.  The 
representfitives,  contident  of  the  support  of  the  people, 
refused  to  establish  a  permanent  salary  for  the  governor, 
and  often  withheld  the  pittance  they  gave,  until  he  had 
sanctioned  those  measures  which  they  desired  should  be 
adopted. 

His  residence  in  the  province  being  rendered,  by  thisi 
dispute,  unpleasant,  he  suddenly  and  privately  quitted  it, 
in  December,  1722.  Upon  his  arrival  in  England,  he  ex- 
hibited charges  against  the  house,  of  having  made  variods 
encroachments  upon  the  king's  prerogative,  which  the 
agents  of  the  province  were  instructed  to  answer  and  repel. 

JHe  remained  in  England  until  1720,  when  he  resigned 
his  office,  and  William  Burnet,  then  governor  of  New-York. 
was  appointed  his  successor.  In  his  first  speech,  he  inform- 
ed the  house  that  he  had  received  positive  instructions  from 
the  king  to  insist  on  a  permanent  salary.  The  representa- 
tives generous  of  their  money  but  tenacious  of  their  rights, 


'.'.f 


■  -ft 


MASSACHUSEttS. 


49 


J  govern' 
isolved  to 
lem  were 
ssolution, 
n  remon- 
l,  and  re- 
their  pre- 

le  that  did 

Instead  of 

vernor  for 

adred.and, 

until  near 

vailed  and 
ernor  then 
the  king  to 
n  a  perma- 
.  of  the  im- 
ch  sums  as 
ed,  that  the 
court  might 

d. 

of  both  par- 
ions.  The 
he  people, 
governor. 
Intil  he  had 
jd  should  be 

[red,  by  this 
quitted  it, 
[land,  he  ex- 
lade  various 
which  the 
r  and  repel, 
he  resigned 
I' New-York. 
I,  he  inform- 
[uctions  from 
representa- 
their  rights, 


'iS 


,1* 


priated  three  hundred  pounds  for  the  expenses  of  his  jour- 
ney, and  fourteen  hundred  pounds  towards  his  support,  not 
specifying  for  what  time.  The  first  sum  he  accepted  ;  but 
absolutely  declined  receiving  any  compensation  for  his  ser- 
vices, except  in  the  mode  of  a  fixed  salary. 

The  delegates  were  equally  decided ;  and  having  trans- 
acted ail  their  necessary  business,  requested  the  gover- 
nor, by  message,  to  adjourn  them.  He  replied  that  he 
could  not  comply  with  their  request,  as,  if  he  did,  he  should 
put  it  out  of  their  power  to  pay  immediate  regard  to  the 
king's  instructions.  A  few  days  afterwards,  ihe  request  was 
again  made  and  again  denied. 

Messages,  containing  arguments  and  replies,  were  often 
interchanged  by  the  parties.  After  two  months  had  been 
consumed  in  the  controversy,  the  governor,  imagining  the 
members  were  influenced  by  the  citizens  of  Boston,  trans- 
ferred the  general  court  to  Salem.  They  were  detained 
there  two  months  ;  were  then  allowed  to  return  to  their 
homes  ;  were  again  assembled  after  a  short  recess ;  and 
having  sat  seventeen  days,  were  again  adjourned  without 
exhibiting  any  symptoms  of  compliance. 

A  new  assembly  was  elected,  and  held  several  sessions  in 
the  summer  of  1729,  displaying  the  same  spirit  as  the 
former.  In  the  mean  time,  information  was  transmitted 
from  England,  that  the  king  approved  the  conduct  of  the 
governor,  and  condemned  that  of  the  house.  Still  the 
members  continued  inflexible.  In  August,  they  were  re- 
moved to  Cambridge,  which  served  to  exasperate  rather 
than  to  convince  them.  Here,  however,  the  controversy 
was  suspended,  for  a  time,  by  the  death  of  the  governor, 
which  was  supposed  to  have  been  hastened  by  his  unsuc- 
cessful contest  with  the  house  of  representatives. 

His  successor  was  Mr.  Belcher,  then  agent  in  Eng* 
land.  As  he  belonged  to  the  popular  party,  his  appoint- 
ment gave  rise  to  the  expectation,  that  the  instruction,  to 
obtain  a  permanent  salary,  was  withdrawn.  But  from  his 
first  speech  it  appeared,  that  it  was  not  only  left  unrescind* 
cd,  but  enforced  by  a  threat  of  punishment  in  case  of  re- 
fusal. 

The  house,  unintimidated  by  the  threat,  refused.  The 
governor,  during  the  two  first  years  of  his  administration, 
made  several  attempts  to  induce  them  to  comply.    Allfail- 


/" 


50 


MASSACHUSETTS. 


K' 

W' 

InH 

P 

mi 

w 

nH 

K' 

IJ^^H 

j^i 

H^B 

W' 

wbH 

^. 

^H 

t 

H 

t 

HI 

Up  ' 

^^^^fl 

Pv 

■^^hh 

£•' 

■i^H^w 

1 

HI 

ing,  he  endeavored  to  obtain  a  relaxation  of  his  instruct 
lions.  Permission  was  at  length  granted  that  he  might  re- 
ceive a  particular  sum  which  was  voted,  and  a  similar  per^ 
mission  was  afterwards  annually  given.  Thus  ended  a  con- 
test which  prepared  the  people  of  Massachusetts;  to  embark 
in  an  other  in  which  more  important  rights  were  to  be  de- 
fended. 

These  turbulent  times  were  succeeded  by  a  calni  which 
continued  several  years  ;  during  which,  however,  the  ene- 
mies of  governor  Belcher,  by  incessant  misrepresentation, 
deprived  him  of  the  favor  of  the  ministry  in  England.  In 
1740,  he  was  removed  from  office,  and  Mr.  William  Shir- 
ley appointed  in  his  place. 

In  1744,  war  again  broke  out  between  England  and 
France,  and  the  colonies  were  involved  in  its  calamities. 
Their  commerce  and  fisheries  suffered  great  injury  from 
privateers,  fitted  out  at  Louisburg,  a  French  port,  on 
cape  Breton.  Its  situation  gave  it  such  importance,  that 
nearly  six  millions  of  dollars  had  been,  expended  on  its 
fortifications. 

Mr.  Vaughan  of  New-Hampshire,  who  had  often  visited 
that  place  as  a  trader,  conceived  the  project  of  an  expedi- 
tion against  it.  He  communicated  it  to  governor  Shirley,, 
and,  being  ardent  and  enthusiastic,  convinced  him  that  the 
enterprise  was  practicable,  and  inspired  him  with  his  own 
enthusiasm. 

Having  exacted  of  the  general  court  an  oath  of  secrecy,  the 
governor,  in  January,  1746,  communicated  to  them  the  pro- 
ject. Many  heard  it  with  amazement.  So  strong  was  the 
place,  and  so  weak  comparatively  were  the  colonies,  that 
the  thought  of  attacking  it  seemed  rash  and  presiumptuous. 
From  respect  to  him,  however,  his  proposal  was  referred  to 
a  committee  ;  they  reported  against  it,  the  house  accepted 
the  report,  and  the  members  dismissed  from  their  minds 
all  thoughts  of  the  expedition. 

During  the  secret  deliberations,  the  people  watched 
with  anxiety  to  ascertain  their  object.  The  disclosure  was 
made  by  an  honest  member,  who  incautiously,  in  his  family 
devotions,  prayed  for  the  divine  blessing  on  the  attempt, 
should  it  be  made.  The  people  were  instantly  struck  witii 
the  advantage  of  possessing  the  place.  When  the  decision 
was  made  kaown,  a  petition,  signed  by  a  large  number  ot 


MASSACHUSETTS, 


Wi 


Im  which 
,  the  ene- 
sentation, 
land.      Ift 
laiD  Shir- 
gland  and 
i^alamities. 
jjury  from 
port,   on 
tance,  that 
ded  on  its 

'ten  visited 
an  expedi- 
or  Shirley, 
im  that  the 
h  his  own 

ecrecy,the 
em  the  pro- 

3ns  w**^  ^^^ 
ouie^*  that 
iimptuous. 
refeired  to 

se  accepted 
heir  minds 

,le  watched 
closure  was 
in  his  family 
,he  attempt, 
strnck  with 
the  decision 
e  number  ot 


s 


i 


merchants,  was  presented  to  the  general  court,  praying 
them  to  comply  with  the  governor's  proposal.  The  sub- 
ject was  again  discussed,  and  a  vote  in  favor  of  the  expedi- 
tion was  passed  by  a  majority  of  one. 

The  question  was  now  decided,  and  all  who  were  before 
averse  to  the  enterprise,  united  heartily  with  its  supporters 
to  carry  it  into  execution.  The  other  New-England  colo- 
nies were  solicited,  and  agreed  to  furnish  assistance  ;  and  a 
boat  was  despatched  to  commodore  Warren,  in  the  West 
Indies,  to  invite  his  co-operation.  Colonel  Pepperell  was 
appointed  commander  in  chief,  and  Roger  Wolcott,  of 
Connecticut,  second  in  command. 

In  two  months,  an  army  of  more  than  four  thousand  men 
was  enlisted,  clothed,  victualled,  and  equipped  for  service,  in 
the  four  New-England  colonies,  which  did  not  then  con- 
tain four  hundred  thousand  inhabitants.  On  the  23d  of 
March,  the  despatch  boat  returned  from  the  West  Indies, 
with  advice  that  commodore  Warren  declined  furnishing 
aid.  This  intelligence  was  kept  secret.  The  troops  of 
Massachusetts  embarked,  as  though  nothing  discouraging 
bar.  Sappened,  and  about  the  middle  of  April,  they,  as  well 
as  t"^  e  sent  by  Connecticut  and  New-Hampshire,  arrived 
safi  -    Canso. 

Commodore  Warren  had  but  just  despatched  his  answer, 
when  he  received  orders  to  repair  to  Boston  with  such 
ships  as  could  be  spared,  and  concert  measures  with  go^ 
vernor  Shirley  for  his  majesty's  service  in  North  America. 
He  sailed  instantly,  but  learning,  in  his  course,  that  the 
transports  had  left  Boston  for  Canso,  he  steered  directly 
for  that  place,  where  he  arrived  on  the  23d  of  April.  He 
added  much  to  their  naval  strength,  and  much  to  that  con- 
fidence, which,  by  promising,  ensures  victory. 

Several  vessels  of  war,  which  had  been  sent  to  cruise 
before  Louisburg,  had  captured  a  number  of  French  ships, 
and  prevented  any  intelligence  of  the  expedition  from 
reaching  the  enemy.  These  vessels  were  daily  within  sight 
of  the  place,  but  were  supposed  to  be  privateers,  and  caused 
no  alarm.  The  appearance  of  the  fleet,  on  the  30th  of 
April,  gave  the  French  the  first  intimation  of  their  danger. 

The  troops  immediately  landed,  and  the  next  day  a  de- 
tachment of  four  hundred,  marching  round  the  hills,  ap- 
proached within  a  mile  of  the  grand  battery,  setting  fire  to 


w 


52 


MASSACHUSETTS. 


all  the  houses  and  stores  on  the  way.  Many  of  these  con- 
tained pitch  and  tar,  which  produced  a  thick  smoke,  that 
completely  enveloped  the  invaders. 

The  fears  of  the  French  were  increased  by  their  uncer- 
tainty. They  imagined  the  whole  army  was  coming  upon 
them,  and,  throwing  their  powder  into  a  well,  deserted  the 
battery,  of  which  the  New-England  troops  took  possession 
without  loss. 

This  was  uncommon  good  fortune ;  but  the  most  difii- 
cult  labors  of  the  siege  remained  to  be  performed.  The 
cannon  were  to  be  drawn  nearly  two  miles,  over  a  deep 
morass,  in  plain  view,  and  within  gun  shot,  of  the  enemy's 
principal  fortilications.  For  fourteen  nights,  the  troops, 
with  straps  over  their  shoulders,  and  sinking  to  their  knees 
in  mud,  were  employed  in  this  service. 

The  approaches  were  then  begun  in  the  mode  which 
seemed  most  proper  to  the  shrewd  understandings  of  un- 
taught militia.  Those  officers,  who  were  skilled  in  the  art 
of  war,  talked  of  zig  zags  and  epnulements ;  but  the  troops 
made  themselves  merry  with  the  terms,  and  proceeded  in 
their  own  way.  By  the  20th  of  May,  they  had  erected 
five  batteries,  one  of  which  mounted  five  forty-two  pound- 
ers, and  did  great  execution. 

Meanwhile  the  fleet,  cruising,  in  the  harbor,  had  been 
equally  successful.  It  captured  a  French  ship  of  sixty -four 
guns,  loaded  with  stores  for  the  garrison,  to  whom  the  loss 
was  as  distressing,  as  to  the  besiegers  the  capture  was  for- 
tunate. English  ships  of  war  were,  besides,  continually 
arriving,  and  added  such  strength  to  the  fleet  that  a  com- 
bined attack  upon  the  town  was  resolved  upon. 

The  enemy,  discovering  this  design,  deemed  it  unwise 
to  abide  the  hazard  of  an  assault.  On  the  1  Ath  of  June,  the 
French  commander  proposed  a  cessation  of  hostilities,  and, 
on  the  17th,  capitulated. 

Intelligence  of  this  event,  flying  swiftly  through  the  colo- 
nies, diffused  great  and  universal  joy.  And  well  might  the 
citizens  of  New-Rngland  be  elated  with  the  glad  tidings^ 
Without  even  a  suggestion  from  the  mother  country,  they 
had  projected,  and,  wih  but  little  assistance,  had  achieved, 
an  enterprise  of  vast  importance  to  her  and  to  them.  Their 
commerce  and  fisheries  were  now  secure,  and  their  mari- 
time cities  relieved  from  all  fear  of  attack  from  that  quartet'. 


■■%"^ 


MASSACHUSETTS. 


i3 


hese  con- 
loke,  that 

jir  uricer- 
ning  upon 
serted  the 
)ossessioQ 

nost  difii- 
ed.  The 
er  a  deep 
e  enemy's 
he  troops, 
heir  knees 

ode  which 
ngs  of  un- 
d  in  the  art 
the  troops 
0(  eeded  in 
ad  erected 
two  pound- 

,  had  been 
f  sixty -four 
om  the  loss 
ire  was  for- 
continually 
that  a  com- 

d  it  unwise 
)f  June,  the 
[iUties,  and, 


f  "1 


">.,', 


France,  fired  with  resentment  at  her  loss,  made  extra- 
ordinary exertions  to  retrieve  it,  and  to  inflict  chastisement 
on  New-England.  The  next  summer,  she  despatched  to 
the  American  coast  a  powerful  fleet,  carrying  a  large  num- 
ber of  soldiers.  The  news  of  its  approach  spread  terror 
throughout  New-England  ;  but  an  uncommon  succession  of 
disasters,  which  the  pious  of  that  time  attributed  to  the  spe- 
cial interposition  of  Providence,  deprived  it  of  all  power 
to  inflict  injury.  After  remaining  a  short  time  on  the  coast, 
it  returned  to  France,  having  lost  two  admirals,  both  of 
whom,  it  was  supposed,  put  an  end  to  their  lives  through 
chagrin  ;  having  also,  by  tempests,  been  reduced  to  one 
half  its  force,  and  eflected  nothing. 

In  1748,  peace  was  concluded,  each  party  restoring  all 
its  prisoners  and  conquests  ;  a  striking,  but  not  uncommon, 
illustration  of  the  folly  of  war.  Louisburg,  though  con- 
quered by  the  colonies,  was  exchanged,  by  Great  Britain, 
for  territories  which  she  had  lost  in  Europe.  New-Eng- 
land murmured  at  this  injustice ;  but  what  avail  the  mur- 
murs of  the  weak  ? 

From  this  period  to  the  commencement  of  the  next  French 
war,  but  few  important  events  occurred  in  Massachusetts. 
The  bills  of  credit,  which  the  colony  had  issued  to  defray 
its  enormous  expenditure,  were  redeemed  by  the  govern- 
ment, at  their  depreciated  value.  This  example  was  fol- 
lowed, though  tardily,  by  the  other  governments.  At  the 
time  of  their  redemption,  they  were  worth  no  more,  in 
some  colonies,  than  one  tenth,  and  in  others,  one  twenti 
ethj  of  the  sum  for  which  they  had  been  issued,  ^c 


m 


i;h  the  colo- 
11  might  the 
;lad  tidings, 
untry,  ihey 
d  achieved, 
lem.  Their 
their  mari- 
lat  quarter. 


^* 


-.'■S^- 


CHAPTER  HI. 


/ 


NEW-HAMPSHIRE. 


With  the  hi?  rv  of  Massachusetts,  the  parent  of  the 
New-En&;land  cuionit  lat  of  New-Hara^  >tn  a  has  been 
necessarily  blended.  ..  brief  relation  of  some  detached 
events,  which  occurred  in  the  latter  colony,  will  now  be 
given. 

John  Mason,  Ferdinand  Gorges,  and  others,  having  ob- 
tained, of  the  Plymouth  or  New-England  company,  grants 
of  several  tracts  of  land,  lying  north  of  Massachusetts,  sent 
from  England,  in  1623,  a  few  persons  to  begin  a  settlement. 
Part  landed,  and,  for  a  short  time,  remained  at  Little  Har- 
bor, on  the  west  side  of  Piscataqua  river,  and  near  its  mouths 
Here  the  first  house  was  built,  which  was  called  Mason 
Hall.  The  remainder,  proceeding  higher  up  the  river, 
settled  at  Cocheco,  afterwards  called  Dover. 

Fishing  and  trade  being  the  principal  objects  of  these 
emigrants,  their  settlements  increased  slowly.  In  1629, 
the  territory  situated  between  Merrimac  and  Piscataqua 
rivers,  and  extending  sixty  miles  from  the  sea,  was  granted 
to  Mason  alone,  and  then  first  called  New-Hampshire.  In 
1631,  the  first  hquse  was  built  at  Portsmouth.  In  1638, 
tbe  Reverend  John  Wheelwright,  who,  in  1629,  but  pre- 
vious to  the  date  of  Mason's  patent,  had  purchased  the  land 
of  the  Indians,  laid  the  foundation  of  Exeter.  The  next 
year,  thirty-five  persons,  residing  in  that  town,  combined 
and  established  civil  government.  Within  a  year  or  tWo 
[afterwards,  the  inhabitants  of  Dover  and  Portsmouth  fol- 
I  lowed  their  example,  each  town  remaining  distinct  and  in- 
dependent. 

In  1641,  these  little  republics,  distrusting  their  ability  to 

[protect  themselves,  formed  a  coalition  with  Massachusetts^ 

[and  long  remained  a  part  of  that  colony.      The  civil  wars 

in  England  diverted  the  attention  of  Mason  from  his  grant, 

md  those  who  migrated  to  the  country  purchased  of  Wheel- 


66 


NEW-HAMPSniRE. 


Wright,  the  lands  ivhich  they  occupied.  In  the  war  with 
Philip,  the  settlements  on  Piscatnqua  and  Oyster  rivers, 
were  attacked  by  the  Indians,  and  suffered  severely. 

In  1675,  Robert  Mason,  grandson  and  heir  of  John  Ma- 
son, appUed  to  the  king  to  obtain  possession  of  the  territo- 
ry and  rights  which  had  been  granted  to  his  ancestor.  No- 
tice of  this  application  was  given  to  Massachusetts,  and  the 
parties  were  heard  before  the  king  in  council.  In  1G79, 
a  decree  was  passed,  that  New-Hampshire  should  be  con- 
stituted a  separate  province,  to  be  ruled  by  a  president  and 
council,  who  were  to  be  appointed  by  the  king,  and  a  house 
of  representatives  to  be  chosen  by  the  people.  No  de- 
cision was  made  affecting  the  titles  to  land. 

The  first  assembly,  consisting  of  eleven  members,  met, 
in  1680,  at  Portsmouth.  Ai  this  session,  a  code  of  laws 
was  adopted,  of  which  the  first,  in  a  style  worthy  of  free- 
men, declared,  "that  no  act,  imposition,  law,  or  ordinance, 
should  be  imposed  upon  the  inhabitants  of  the  province, 
but  such  as  should  be  made  by  the  assembly,  and  approved 
by  the  president  and  council."  This  was  twelve  years  pre- 
vious to  the  enactment  of  a  similar  law  in  Massachusetts. 

In  the  same  year.  Mason,  who  had  been  appointed  a  mem- 
ber  of  the  council,  arrived  in  the  colony.  He  assumed  the 
title  of  lord  proprietor,  claimed  the  soil  as  his  property, 
and  threatened  to  prosecute  all  who  would  not  take  from 
him  leases  of  the  lands  they  occupied.  His  pretensions 
were  resisted  by  most  of  the  inhabitants,  who  claimed  the 
fee-simple  of  the  soil  by  a  more  righteous,  if  not  more  le- 
gal title. 

The  peace  of  the  colony  was  long  disturbed  by  these 
conflicting  claims.  At  the  head  of  those  who  contended 
with  Mason,  stood  Major  Waldron,  of  Dover.  Against  him, 
and  many  others,  suits  were  instituted.  No  defence  was 
made,  judgments  were  obtained,  but  so  general  was  the 
hostility  to  Mason,  that  he  never  dared  to  enforce  them. 

Over  Massachusetts  and  New-Hampshire,  the  same  gov- 
ernor usually  presided.  After  Andross  was  deposed,  the 
inhabitants  of  the  latter  colony  desired  to  be  incorporated 
with  their  former  brethren.  Their  request  was  opposed 
by  Samuel  Allen,  who  had  purchased  Mas&n^s  title,  and  was 
refused.  Allen  was  made  governor  of  the  colony,  and,  by 
his  influence,  John  Usher,  his  son-in-law,  was  appointed 
lieutenant  governor.  Under  his  administration,  the  disputes. 


NEW-RAMPSHtRR. 


67 


war  with 
er  rivers, 

rely.  . 

John  Ma-        * 
tie  territo-       f 
3stor.  No- 
tts, and  the 
In  1C79, 
lid  be  con- 
esident  and 
ind  a  house 
I.      No  de- 

ibers,  met, 
ade  of  laws 
by  of  free- 
r  ordinance, 
e  province, 
nd  approved 
e  years  pre - 
sachusetts. 
nted  a  mem- 
assumed  the 
lis  property, 
ot  take  from 
pretensions 
>  claimed  the 
not  more  le- 

bed  by  these 
10  contended 
Against  him, 
defence  was 
neral  was  the 
iforce  them, 
the  same  gov- 
i  deposed,  the 
5  incorporated 
t  was  opposed 
s  title,  and  was 
olony,  and,  by 
i^as  appointed 
In, the  disputes, 


occasioned  by  adverse  claims  to  land,  continued  to  rage  with 
increased  violence.  Other  suits  were  instituted,  and  judg- 
ments obtained  ;  but  the  sheriff  was  forcibly  resisted,  by  a 
powerful  combination,  whenever  he  attempted  to  put  the 
plaintiff  in  possession. 

From  Indian  wars  this  colony  suffered  more  than 
any  of  her  sisters.  The  surprise  of  Dover,  in  1689,  was 
attended  by  circumstances  of  the  most  shocking  barbarity. 
That  the  natives  had  been  cruelly  injured  by  major  Wal- 
dron,  the  principal  citizen,  may  account  for,  if  not  extenu- 
ate, their  ferocity  in  obtaining  revenge. 

Havini{  determined  upon  their  plan  of  attack,  they  em- 
ployed more  than  their  usual  art,  to  lull  the  suspicions  of 
the  inhabitants.  So  civil  and  respectful  was  their  behavior, 
that  they  often  obtained  permission  to  sleep  in  the  fortified 
houses  in  the  town.  On  the  evening  of  the  fatal  night,  they 
assembled  in  the  neighborhood,  and  sent  their  women  to 
apply  for  lodgings,  at  the  houses  devoted  to  destruction  ; 
who  were  not  only  admitted,  but  were  shown  how  they 
could  open  the  doors  should  they  have  occasion  to  go  out 
in  the  night. 

When  all  was  quiet,  the  doors  were  opened  and  the  sig- 
nal given.  The  Indians  rushed  into  Waldron's  house,  and 
hastened  to  his  apartment.  Awakened  by  the  noise,  he 
seized  his  sword  and  drove  them  back,  but  when  return- 
ing for  his  other  arms,  was  stunned  with  a  hatchet,  and  fell. 
They  then  dragged  him  into  his  hall,  seated  him  in  an  el- 
bow chair,  upon  a  long  table,  and  insultingly  asked  him, 
«'who  shall  jud^e  Indians  now  ?" 

After  feasting  upoh  provisions,  which  they  compelled 
the  rest  of  the  family  to  procure,  each  one,  with  his  knife, 
cut  gashes  across  his  breast,  saying,  *'  I  cross  out  my  ac- 
count." When,  weakened  with  the  loss  of  blood,  he  was 
about  to  fall  from  the  table,  his  own  sword  was  held  under 
him,  which  put  an  end  tD  his  misery. 

At  other  houses,  similar  acts  of  cruelty  were  perpe- 
trated. In  the  whole,  twenty-three  persons  were  killed, 
twenty-nine  carried  prisoners  to  Canada,  and  mostly  sold 
to  the  French.  Remembering  kindness  as  well  as  injury, 
they  spared  one  woman,  who,  thirteen  years  before,  had 
conferred  a  favor  on  one  of  the  party.  Many  houses  were 
burned,  much  property  was  plundered,  and  so  expeditious 


s% 


IVEW'nAMPSniRK. 


were  the  Indiana,  that  they  had  fled  beyond  reach  before 
the  neighboring  people  could  be  collected. 

The  wnr  thus  commenced  was  prosecuted  with  great 
vigor.  The  French,  by  giving  premiums  for  scalps,  and 
by  purchasing  the  English  prisoners,  animated  the  Indians 
to  exert  all  their  activity  and  address,  and  the  frontier  in- 
habitants endured  the  must  aggravated  sufferings.  The  set- 
tlements on  Oyster  river  were  again  t^tirprised ;  twenty 
houses  were  burned,  and  nearly  one  hundred  persons  were 
killed  or  made  prisoners.  Other  towns  were  attacked, 
many  persons  slain,  and  many  carried  into  captivity.  The 
peiice  of  Kyswick,  in  1697,  closed  the  distressing  scene. 
In  1703,  an  other  war  began,  which  continued  ten  years. 

In  1719,  above  one  hundred  famili(>s,  mostly  Presbyte- 
rians, emigrated  from  the  north  of  Ireland,  and  settled  the 
town  of  Londonderry.  They  introduced  the  foot  spinning 
wheel,  the  manufacture  of  linen,  and  the  culture  of  pota- 
los.      They  were  industrious,  hardy,  and  useful  citizens. 

From  1722,  to  1726,  the  inhabitants  again  suffered  the 
afflictions  of  an  Indian  war.  Following  the  example  of  the 
French,  the  government  offered  premiums  for  scalps, 
which  induced  several  volunteer  companies  to  undertake 
expeditions  again.st  the  enemy.  One  of  these,  commanded 
by  captain  Lovewell,  was  greatly  distinguished,  at  first  by 
its  successes,  and  afterwards  by  its  misfortunes. 

Long  after  the  transfer  from  lVlai>on  to  Allen,  some  de- 
fect in  the  conveyance  was  discovered,  v  hich  rendered  it 
void.  In  1746,  John  Tufton  Mason,  a  descendant  of  the 
original  grantee,  claiming  the  lands  possessed  by  his  ances- 
tors, conveyed  them,  for  fifteen  hundred  pounds,  to  twelve 
persons,  subsequently  called  the  Masoniau  proprietors. 
They,  to  silence  opposition,  voluntarily  relinquished  their 
claim  io  the  lands  already  occupied  by  others. 

They  also  granted  townships  on  the  most  liberal  terms. 
Reserving  certain  portions  of  the  land  for  themselves,  for 
the  first  settled  ministers,  and  for  schools,  they  required 
merely  that  the  grantees  should,  within  a  limited  time,  erect 
mills  and  meeting  houses,  clear  out  roads,  and  settle  minis- 
ters of  the  gospel.  In  process  of  time,  nearly  all  the  Ma- 
sonian  lands,  being  about  one  fourth  of  the  whole,  were,  in 
this  manner,  granted  ;  and  contention  and  law  suits  ceased 
to  disturb  the  repose,  and  to  'r;ipede  the  prosperity  of  the 
colony. 


t.*. 


CHAPTKR  IV. 


CONNECTICUT. 


In  1631,  Viscount  Say  and  Seal,  Lord  Brook,  and  others, 
obtained  from  the  Plymouth  Company,  in  England,  a  grant 
of  the  territory  which  now  constitutes  the  state  of  Connec- 
ticut ;  and  so  little  was  then  known  of  the  geography  of 
the  new  world,  that  the  grant  was  made  to  extencV,  in  longi- 
tude, from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  to  the  South  Sea.  In  the 
same  year,  the  Indians,  living  on  Connecticut  river,  having 
invited  the  colony  of  Plymouth  to  make  a  settlement  on 
their  lands,  governor  Winslow,  and  others,  visited  the 
country,  and  selected  a  place  near  the  month  of  the  little 
river  in  Windsor,  for  the  erection  of  a  trading  house. 

The  Dutch  at  Neiv-York,  apprized  of  this  project  of  the 
English,  and  determined  to  anticipate  them,  immediately 
despatched  a  party,  who  erected  a  fort  at  Hartford.  In 
Septemher,  IH.H.S,  a  company  from  Plymouth,  having  pre- 
pared the  frame  of  a  house,  put  it  on  board  a  vessel,  and, 
passing  the  fort,  conveyed  it  to  the  place  previously  se- 
lected. In  October,  they  raised,  covered,  and  fortified 
it  with  palisades.  The  Dutch,  considering  them  intruders, 
sent,  the  next  year,  a  band  of  seventy  men, to  drive  them 
from  the  country,  but  finding  them  strongly  posted,  they 
relinquished  the  design. 

In  the  autumn  of  1635,  mony  of  the  inhabitants  of  Dor- 
chester and  Watertown,  in  Massachusetts,  having  heard  of 
the  fertile  meadows  on  Connecticut  river,  removed  thither, 
and  began  settlements  at  Weathersfield  and  Windsor.  Du- 
ring the  next  winter,  tKeir  suiferings  from  famine  were  ex- 
treme. So  destitute  were  they  of  provisions,  that  many, 
in  dread  of  starvation,  returned,  in  December,  to  Massa- 
chusetts. In  their  journey  through  the  dreary  wilderness, 
at  this  inclement  season,  they  encountered  indescribable 
hardships. 


60 


CONNECTICUT, 


Id  the  snme  autumn,  Mr.  Winthrop  arrived  from  Eng- 
land,  with  intitructions  from  the  patentees  to  erect  a  fort 
at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  make  the  requiiiite  prepa- 
ration for  planting  a  colony.  The  fort  was  hut  just  com- 
pleted when  a  party,  sent  for  the  same  purpose,  by  the 
Dutch,  at  New- York,  arrived  io  a  vessel,  but  were  not 
permitted  to  land. 

The  next  spring,  those  who  had  been  compelled  by 
famine  to  revisit  Massachusetts,  returned  to  Connecticut. 
In  June,  the  Reverend  Mr.  Hooker,  of  Cambridge,  and 
about  one  hundred  men,  women,  and  children,  belonging 
to  his  congregation,  travelling  through  the  wilderness,  laid 
the  foundation  of  Hartford.  They  were  nearly  two  weeks 
on  their  journey  ;  they  drove  their  cattle  with  them,  and 
subsisted,  by  the  way,  upon  the  milk  of  their  cows. 

In  1637,  all  the  settlements  in  New-England  were  in- 
volved in  hostilities  with  the  Pequods,  a  tribe  of  Indians 
inhabiting  New-London  and  the  country  around  it.  Some 
account  of  this  war  has  been  given  in  the  history  of  Mas- 
sachusetts. Previous  to  any  expedition  against  them,  they 
had  killed  many  of  the  emigrants  to  Connecticut,  had  cap- 
tured others,  and  tortured  them  to  death.  In  the  short 
war  which  followed,  their  surviving  brethren,  for  bravery 
in  battle  and  fortitude  in  suffering,  were  not  surpassed  by 
any  portion  of  the  English  troops. 

At  first,  the  emigrants  acknowledged  the  authority  of 
Massachusetts.  In  January,  1639,  the  freemen,  having 
convened  at  Hartford,  adopted  a  constitution  ibr  them- 
selves. They  ordained  ihat  two  general  courts,  or  as- 
semblies, should  be  held  annually,  one  in  April,  the  other 
in  September  ;  that  at  the  court  held  in  April,  styled  the 
court  of  election,  the  freemen  should  choose  a  governor, 
six  magistrates,  and  all  the  public  ofhcers  ;  that  to  the 
other,  the  several  towns  should  send  deputies,  who,  in 
conjunction  with  the  governor  anti  magistrates,  were  au- 
thorized to  enact  laws,  and  perform  all  necessary  public 
services.  No  general  court  could  be  adjourned  or  dis- 
solved, without  the  consent  of  a  major  part  of  the  mem- 
bers. 

In  the  same  year,  George  Fenwick,  one  of  the  patentees, 
came  over  with  his  family,  and  settled  at  the  mouth  of 
the  river.  In  honor  of  Lord  Say  and  Seal,  and  Lord  Brook, 


-m 


CONNECTICUT. 


61 


from  Eng' 
rect  a  fort 
site  prepa- 
:  just  com* 
86,  by  the 
t  were  not 

npelled  by 
onnecticut. 
bridge,  and 
I,  belonging 
erness,  laid 
two  weeks 
1  them,  and 
;ows. 

id  were  in- 
of  Indians 
d  it.  Some 
ary  of  Mas- 
t  them,  they 
ut,  had  cap- 
In  the  short 
for  bravery 
ur passed  by 


luthority  of 

nen,  having 

n  lor  them- 

lurts,  or  as- 

il,  the  other 

,  styled  the 

a  governor. 

that  to  the 

ies,  who,  in 

s,  were  an- 

ssary  public 

rned  or  dis- 

of  the  mem- 


iite  called  the  place  Saybrook.  Others  afterwards  joined 
him  ;  and  for  several  years,  they  were  governed  by  their 
own  mngii>trates  and  laws.  In  1644,  Mr.  Fenwick,  for 
<»even  thousand  dollars,  assigned  to  the  general  court  of 
Connecticut,  the  fort  at  Saybrook,  and  all  the  rights  confer- 
red by  the  patent  from  the  Plymouth  company  in  England. 
This  settlement  then  became  a  part  of  the  colony.  The  claim 
of  Plymouth  colonv ,  founded  upon  their  having  first  made  an 
establishment  at  Windsor,  had  been  previously  purchased. 
In  the  mean  time,  an  other  colony  had  been  planted 
within  the  limits  of  the  Connecticut  patent.  In  June, 
1637,  two  liirge  ships  arrived  at  Boston,  from  England, 
having  on  board  Mr.  Davenport,  Mr.  Eaton,  and  many 
others,  whom  pious  motives  had  impelled  to  emigrate  to 
New-England.  Being  highly  respectable,  and  some  of 
them  possesiiing  great  wealth,  the  general  court  of  Massa- 
chusetts, desirous  of  ^detaining  them  in  the  colony,  offered 
them  any  place  they  might  select  for  a  plantation. 

Wishing,  however,  to  institute  a  civil  and  religious  com- 
munity, conforming  in  all  things  to  their  peculiar  princi- 
ples, they  removed,  the  next  year,  to  Quinnipiac,  /'hich 
they  call'j(.'  New-Haven.     Soon  after  their  arrival,  at  the 
I  close  of  I  day  of  fasting  and  prayer,  they  subscribed  what 
[they  tertied  a  plantation  covenant,  solemnly  binding  them- 
selves, *  until  otherwise  ordered,  to  be  governed  in  all 
things,  of  a  civil  as  well  as  religious  concern,  by  the  rules 
which  the  scripture  held  forth  to  them."  They  purchased 
of  the  natives,  large  tracts  of  land ;  and  laid  out  their  town 
lin  squares,  desii;ning  it  for  a  great  and  elegant  city. 

In  163!),  all  the  free  planters,  assembled  in  a  large  barn, 

[proceeded  to  lay  the  foundation  of  their  civil  and  reli;i;ious 

polity.      They  resolved  that  none  but  '"hurch  members 

should  be  alloived  the  privilege  of  voting*,,  ji'  be  elected  to 

[office ;  that  all  the  freemen  should  annually  assemble  and 

[elect  the  officers  of  the  colony ;  and  that  the  word  of  God 

shotild  he  t  he  only  rule  for  ordering  the  affairs  of  the  com- 

jmonwealth.      Such  was  the  original  constitution  of  New- 

i Haven ;  hut  as*  the  population  increased,  and  new  towns 

[were  settled,  different  rei^ulations  ivere  adopted,  and  the 

[institutions  and  laws  became  gradually  assimilated  to  those 

|of  Connecticut. 

With  the  Dutch  at  New- York,  both  colonies  had  con- 

6 


f 


62 


GOJTNECTICtT* 


'1^' 


stant  and  vexatious  dispates.  The  former  claimed  all  {h€ 
territory  as  far  east  as  Connecticut  river  ;  the  latter  com- 
plained that  the  Dutch  often  plundered  their  property  } 
that  they  sold  guns  and  ammunition  to  the  Indians,  and 
e?en  encouraged  them  to  make  war  upon  the  English. 
The  f  ar  of  attack  from  that  quarter,  was  one  of  the 
reasons  which,  in  1643,  induced  the  colonies  of  New-Eng- 
land to  form  a  confederation  for  their  mutual  defence. 

In  1650,  a  treaty  of  amity  and  partition  was  concluded 
at  Hartford,  hetween  the  English  and  Dutch,  the  latter  re- 
linquishing their  claim  to  the  territory  of  Connecticut,  ex- 
cept the  lands  which  they  actually  occupied.  Soon  ai^er^ 
England  and  Holland  were  involved  in  war  with  each 
other,  but  their  colonies  in  America  agreed  to  remain  at 
peace.  Notwithstanding  this  agreement,  the  Dutch  gov- 
ernor was  detected  in  concerting  with  the  Indians  a  plot 
for  the  total  extirpation  of  the  English; 

Connecticut  and  New-Haven  were  alarmed  ;  a  meeting 
of  the  commissioners  of  the  united  colonies,  was  called, 
and  evidence  of  the  plot  laid  before  them.  A  majority 
was  in  favor  of  war  ;  but  the  colony  of  Massachusetts,  be- 
ing remote  from  the  danger,  was  averse  to  it.  As  she  was 
much  stronger  than  either  of  the  others,  it  was,  nt  the 
suj^estion  of  her  deputies,  resolved,  that  agents  shouK.' 
first  be  sent  to  demand  of  the  Dutch  governor  an  esplana 
tion  of  his  conduct. 

The  agents  obtained  no  satisfactory  explanation.     On 
their  return,  an  other  meeting  of  the  commissioners  wai) 
held  at  Boston,  additional  testimony  was  laid  before  them, 
and  several  ministers  of  Massachusetts  were  invited  to  a.s 
sist  at  their  deliberations,  a  practice  not  unusual  at  that  pc 
riod. 

The  opinion  of  these  ministers  being  requested,  they  ob 
served,  **  that  the  proofs  of  the  execrable  plot,  tending  t*; 
the  destruction  of  the  dear  saints  of  God,  were  of  mch 
weight  as  to  induce  them  to  believe  the  reality  of  it ;   yc' 
they  were  not  so  fully  conclusive  as  to  bear  up  their  hearts 
with  the  fulness  of  persuasion  which  was  meet  in  commend 
ing  the  case  to  God  in  prayer,  and  to  the  people  in  exhortn 
atioQS  ;   and  that  it  would  be  safest  for  the  colonies  to  I'or 
bear  the  use  of  the  sword." 

But  all  the  commissioners,  except  one,  were  of  opinioii 


Mi 


CONNECTIPUT. 


63 


'chat  recent  aggressions  justified,  and  self  preservation  dic- 
tated, an  appeal  to  the  sword.  They  were  about  to  declare 
war,  when  the  general  court  of  Massachusetts,  in  direct 
violation  of  one  of  the  articles  of  the  confederation,  re- 
solved, ♦'that  no  determination  of  the  commissioners, 
though  all  should  agree,  should  bind  the  colony  to  engage 
in  hostilities." 

At  this  declaration,  Connecticut  and  New- Haven  felt 
alarmed  and  indignant.  They  considered  the  other  colo- 
tiies  too  weak,  withou  the  assistance  of  Massachusetts,  to 
contend  with  the  Dutch  and  their  Indian  allies.  They  ar- 
gued, entreated,  and  remonstrated,  but  she  continued  in- 
flexible. They  then  represented  their  danger  to  Crom- 
well, and  implored  his  assistance.  He,  with  his  usual 
promptitude,  sent  a  fleet  for  their  protection,  and  for  the 
conquest  of  their  enemies  ;  but  peace  in  Europe,  intelli- 
gence of  which  reached  New-England  soon  at^er  the  ar- 
rival of  the  fleet,  saved  the  Dutch  from  subjugation,  and 
relieved  the  colonies  from  the  dread  of  massacre. 

After  Charles  the  second  was  restored  to  the  throne, 
Connecticut  .applied  to  him  for  a  royal  charter.  A  trifling 
circumstance  induced  him,  forgetting  all  his  arbitrary  max- 
ims, to  comply  with  :ier  wishes  to  their  utmost  extent.  Her 
agent,  Mr.  Winthrop,  having  an  extraordinary  rin^,  which 
had  been  given  to  his  grandfather  by  Charles  the  first,  pre^ 
sented  it  to  his  json.  He  immediately  granted  a  charter, 
more  liberal  in  its  provisions  than  any  that  had  yet  been 
granted,  and  confirming,  in  every  particular,  the  constitu^ 
lion  which  the  people  had  themselves  adopted. 

This  charter  comprehended  New- Haven  ;  but,  for  sev- 
eral years,  the  people  of  that  colony  utterly  refused  to 
consent  to  the  union.  In  this  opposition  to  the  commands 
of  the  kini:;,  and  the  remon«trances  of  Connecticut,  they 
persevered  until  1665,  when  the  apprehension  of  the  ap- 
pointment of  a  general  governor,  and  of  their  being  united 
with  some  other  colony,  having  a  charter  less  favorable  to 
liberty,  impelled  them,  though  reluctantly,  to  yield. 

In  the  war  with  Philip,  which  began  in  16 "5,  Connecti- 
4!ut  suffered  less  than  her  sister  colonies.  Her  aid,  how- 
ever, in  full  proportion  to  her  strength,  was  always  freely 
afforded ;  and  no  troops  surpassed  her  volunteers  in  bravery 
m4  enterprise.      A  large  number,  and  many  of  them  of- 


r:" 


!      "1 


G4 


CONNECTICUT. 


ficers,  were  killed  at  the  assault  upon  the  fort  at  Narra' 
ganset. 

In  1686,  king  James  the  second,  desirous  of  annulling, 
not  only  the  charters  which  had  been  granted  to  his  Englisli 
cities,  but  those  also  which  had  been  granted  to  his  Ameri- 
can colonies,  summoned  the  governor  of  Connecticut  to  ap- 
pear and  show  cause  why  her  charter  should  not  be  de- 
clared void.  And  Sir  Edmund  Andross,  who  had  been  ap- 
pointed governor  of  New-England,  advised  the  colony,  as 
the  course  best  calculated  to  ensure  the  good  will  of  his 
majesty,  to  resign  it  voluntarily  into  his  hands,  he  having 
been  instructed  to  receive  it.  But  the  people  estimated 
too  highly  the  privileges  it  conferred  to  surrender  it  until 
necessity  compelled  them. 

Sir  Kdmund,  therefore,  repaired,  with  a  body  of  troops, 
to  Hartford,  when  the  assembly  were  in  session,  and  de- 
manded of  them  the  charter.  They  hesitated  and  debated 
until  evening.  It  was  then  produced  and  laid  upon  the  ta- 
ble, a  large  number  of  people  being  present.  Suddenly^ 
the  candles  were  extinguished.  With  counterfeited  haste, 
they  were  again  relighted  ;  but  the  charter  could  no  where 
be  found.  In  the  dark,  it  had  been  privately  carried  off, 
by  a  captain  Wadsworth,  and  concealed  in  a  hollow  tree. 
Sir  Edmund,  however,  assumed  the  government  of  the  col 
ony,  and  ruled  with  the  same  absolute  sway,  though  not 
with  the  same  oppressive  tyranny,  as  in  Massachusetts. 

When  James  was  driven^from  his  throne  and  kingdom, 
and  his  governor  deposed,  Connecticut  resumed  her  former 
government.  The  assembly  voted  a  flattering  address  to 
king  William.  The  suit,  instituted  for  the  purpose  of  an 
nulling  her  charter,  was  abandoned  ;  and  her  inhabitants, 
while  enjoying  greater  privileges  than  any  of  their  breth- 
ren, had  reason  to  congratulate  themselves  upon  their  ad 
dress  and  good  fortune  in  preserving  them. 

But,  r  ot  long  afterwards,  they  were  again  called  upon  to 
defend  these  privileges  from  encroachment.  In  1692, 
colonel  Fletcher  was  appointed  governor  of  NeW'York, 
and  was  authorized,  by  his  commission,  to  take  command 
of  the  militia  of  Connecticut.  This  power  having  been 
given,  by  the  charter,  to  the  governor  of  the  colony,  ho 
determined  not  to  relinquish  it,  and  in  this  determinatio*! 
was  supported  by  the  people. 


>.; 


iDONNECTlCUT. 


GS* 


f  annulling, 
» his  EngUsli 
)  his  Ameri- 
cticut  to  ap- 
not  be  de- 
lad  been  ap- 
le  colony,  as 
d  will  of  his 
s,  he  having 
le  estimated 
•nder  it  until 

dy  of  troops, 
}ion,  and  de- 
I  and  debated 
I  upon  the  ta- 
Suddenly, 
rfeited  haste, 
»uld  no  where 
y  carried  off, 
hollow  tree, 
nt  of  the  col 
,  though  noT 
sachusetts. 
and  kingdom 
ed  her  formei 
ing  address  to 
(urpose  of  an 
;r  inhabitants, 
f  their  breth- 
pon  their  ad 


The  next  year,  when  the  general  court  were  in  session, 
colonel  Fletcher  repaired  to  Hartford,  and  required  that 
the  militia  of  the  colony  should  be  placed  under  his  com- 
mand. This  was  resolutely  refused.  He  then  ordered  the 
trainbands  of  the  city  to  be  assembled.  This  being  done, 
he  appeared  before  them,  and  directed  his  aid  to  read  to 
them  his  commission  and  instructions  from  the  king. 

Captain  Wadsworth,  the  senior  officer  of  the  militia 
present,  instantly  ordered  the  drums  to  beat,  and  such  wa£ 
the  noise,  that  nothing  else  could  be  heard.  Colonel  Fletch- 
er commanded  silence  ;  and  again  his  aid  began  to  read. 
*'  Drum,  drum,  I  say,"  exclaimed  Wadsworth,  and  a  com- 
mand po  acceptable  to  the  players,  was  obeyed  with  spirit. 
Once  more  the  colonel  commanded  silence,  and  a  pau&e  en- 
sued. <*  Drum,  drum,  I  say,"  cried  the  captain,  and  turn- 
ing to  governor  Fletcher,  addressed  him,  with  energy  in  his 
voice  and  meaning  in  his  looks,  '*  If  1  am  interrupted  again, 
f  will  make  the  sun  shine  through  you  in  a  moment." 

Deeming  it  unwise  to  contend  with  such  a  spirit,  colonel 
Fletcher  desisted,  left  Hartford  the  next  night,  and  re- 
turned to  New- fork  A  representation  of  the  opposing 
claims  being  made  to  the  king,  he  decided  that  the  gover- 
nor of  Connecticut  should  have  the  command  of  the  militia; 
but  in  time  of  war,  a  certain  number  should  be  placed  un- 
der the  orders  of  Fletcher. 

In  1700,  Yale  college  was  founded.  It  owes  its  exist- 
ence to  the  beneficence  and  public  spirit  of  the  clergy.  It 
was  first  established  at  Saybrook  ;  and,  in  1702,  the  first 
degrees  were  there  conferred.  Elihu  Yale  made  sev- 
eral donations  to  the  institution,  and  from  him  it  derives  the 
name  it  bears.  A  succession  of  able  instructers  has  raised 
it  to  the  second  rank  among  the  literary  institutions  of  the 
country. 

In  1708,  an  act  was  passed  by  the  legislature,  requiring 
the  ministers  and  delegates  of  churches  to  meet  and  form 
an  ecclesiastical  constitution  for  the  colony.  A  meeting 
was  in  consequence  held  at  Saybrook,  the  result  of  which 
was  the  celebrated  Saybrook  platform.  At  the  subsequent 
session  of  the  legislature,  it  was  enacted  that  all  the  church-  • 
es,  united'  according  to  this  platform,  should  be  owned  as 
established  by  law,  allowing,  however,  to  other  churches, 
the  right  of  exercising  worship  and  discipline  in  their  own 
way,  according  to  their  consciences. 

6* 


06 


CONNECTICUT. 


W^i 


^^ 


In  the  several  abortive  attempts  to  reduce  the  FrencI) 
settlements  in  Canada,  and  in  the  expedition  against  Loais* 
burg,  Connecticut  furnished  her  full  quota  of  troops,  and 
bore  her  proportion  of  the  expenses.  Of  these,  a  history 
is  elsewhere  given.  After  the  death  of  Philip,  most  of  the 
Indians  abandoned  her  territory,  and  seldom  returned  to 
molest  the  inhabitants  ;  who,  living  in  the  enjoyment  of  all 
the  privileges  they  desired,  felt  no  indacement,  and  were 
afforded  no  opportunity,  to  perform  such  actions  as  enliven 
the  pages  of  history. 


'. . 


\c'' 


CHAPTER  y. 


RHODE  ISLAND. 


Roger  Williams,  who  was  banished  from  MassachaseUs, 
for  avowing  the  doctrine,  that  the  civil  magistrate  is  bound 
to  grant  equal  protection  to  every  denomination  of  chris- 
tians, a  doctrine  too  liberal  for  the  age  in  which  he  livedo 
repaired  to  Seeconk,  where  he  procured  a  grant  of  land 
from  the  Indians.  Being  informed,  by  the  governor  of 
Plymouth,  that  the  land  was  within  the  limits  of  that  colo- 
ny, he  proceeded  to  Mooshausic,  where,  in  1636,  with 
those  friends  who  followed  him,  he  began  a  plantation. 

He  purchased  the  land  of  the  Indians,  and,  in  grateful 
acknowledgment  of  the  kindness  of  heaven,  he  called  the 
place  Providence.  Acting  in  conformity  with  the  wise  and 
liberal  principle,  for  avowing  and  maintaining  which,  he 
had  suffered  banishment,  he  allowed  entire  freedom  of  con> 
science  to  all  who  came  within  his  borders.  And  to  him 
must  be  given  the  glory  of  having  first  set  a  practical  exam- 
ple of  the  equal  toleration  of  all  religious  sects  in  the  same 
political  community. 

His  benevolence  was  not  confined  to  his  civilized  breth- 
ren. He  labored  to  enlighten,  improve,  and  conciliate  the 
savages.  He  learned  their  language,  travelled  among  them, 
and  gained  the  entire  confidence  of  their  chiefs.  He  had 
often  the  happiness,  by  his  influence  over  them,  of  saving 
from  injury  the  colony  that  had  proclaimed  him  an  outlaw, 
and  driven  him  into  the  wilderness. 

In  1538;  William  Coddington,  and  seventeen  others,  be- 
ing persecuted  for  their  religious  tenets  in  Massachusetts, 
fbllowed  Williams  to  Providence.  By  his  advice,  they  pur- 
chased of  the  Indians  the  island  of  Aquetnec,  now  called 
Rhode  Island,  and  removed  thither.  Coddington  was  chosen 
their  judge,  or  chief  magistrate.  The  fertility  of  the  soil, 
and  the  toleration  of  all  christian  sects,  attracted  numerous 
emigrants  from  the  adjacent  settlements. 


«r 


68 


RHODE  ISLAND. 


'  When  the  New-Englnnd  colonies,  in  1643,  formed  theit 
memorable  confederacy,  Khode  Island  applied  to  be  ad- 
mitted  a  member.  Plymouth  objected ;  asserting  that  the 
settlements  were  within  her  boundaries.  The  commission- 
ers decided  that  Khode  Island  might  enjoy  all  the  advan- 
tages of  the  confederacy,  if  she  would  submit  to  the  juris- 
diction of  Plymouth.  She  declined,  proudly  preferring  in- 
dependence to  all  the  benefits  of  dependent  union. 

In  1644,  Williams,  having  been  sent  to  England  as  agent 
for  both  settlements,  obtained  of  the  Plymouth  company, 
a  patent  for  the  territory,  and  permission  for  the  inhabit' 
ants  to  institute  a  government  for  themselves.  In  1647, 
delegates  chosen  by  the  freemen,  held  a  general  assembly 
at  Portsmouth,  organized  a  government,  and  established  a 
code  of  laws.  The  executive  power  was  confided  to  a 
president  and  four  assistants. 

Upon  the  application  of  the  inhabitants,  the  king,  in 
1663,  granted  a  charter  to  Khode  Island  and  Providence 
Plantations.  The  supreme,  or  legislative  power,  was  to 
be  exercised  by  an  assembly,  which  was  to  consist  of  the 
governor,  often  assistants,  and  of  representatives  from  the 
several  towns^  all  to  be  chosen  by  the  freemen.  This  as- 
sembly granted  to  all  christian  sects,  except  Koman  Catho^ 
lies,  the  right  of  voting.  In  1665,  they  authorized,  by  law, 
the  seizure  of  the  estates  of  Quakers,  who  refused  to  assist 
in  defending  the  colony ;  but  this  law,  being  generally  con- 
demned by  the  people,  was  never  executed. 

When  Andross  was  made  governor  over  New-England, 
he  dissolved  the  charter  government  of  Khode  Island,  and 
ruled  the  colony,  with  the  assistance  of  a  council  appoint- 
ed by  himself.  After  he  was  imprisoned,  at  Boston,  the 
freemen  met  at  Newport,  and  voted  to  resume  their  char- 
ter.  All  the  officers  who,  three  years  before,  had  beeik 
displaced,  were  restored. 

The  benevolence,  justice,  and  pacific  policy  of  Williams, 
secured  to  the  colony  an  almost  total  exemption  from  In- 
dian hostility.  In  1730,  the  number  of  inhabitants  was 
18,000;  in  1761,  it  was  40,000.  Brown  university  was 
founded,  at  Warren,  in  1764,  and  was  removed,  a  few  years 
after,  to  Providence.  Its  founder  was  Nicholas  Brown, 
who  gave  to  the  institution  five  thousand  dollars. 


J* 


m 


)rmecl  their 
d  to  be  ad- 
ing  that  the 
ommission- 
the  advan 

0  the  juris- 
eferring  in- 
n. 

and  as  agent 

1  company, 
the  inhabit- 
In  1647, 

al  assembly 
^tablished  a 
)ntided  to  a 

he  king,  in 
Providence 
weVy  was  to 
insist  of  the 
res  from  the 
This  as- 
hman Catho- 
zed,  by  law. 
sed  to  assist 
nerally  con- 

w- England. 

Island,  and 
icil  appoint- 
Boston,  the 

their  char- 
e,  had  been 

of  Williams, 
on  from  In- 
ibitants  was 
iversity  was 
,  afew  years 
olas  Brown, 
•s. 


^.•>.^ 


CHAPTER  VI.  ^^^ 


NEW-YORK. 


In  1609,  Henry  Hudson,  an  Englishman,  but  sailing  in 
the  service  of  the  Dutch  East  India  Company,  discovered 
Long  Island,  the  harbor  of  New-York,  and  the  river  to 
which  his  name  has  been  given,  in  1613,  several  Dutch 
merchants,  to  whom  the  republic  of  Holland  had  granted  the 
exclusive  right  of  trading  to  this  part  of  America,  erected 
a  fort  near  Albany,  which  they  named  fort  Orange,  and  a 
few  trading  houses  on  the  island  of  New- York,  then  called^ 
by  the  Indians,  Manhattan. 

In  the  same  year,  captain  Argal,  who  had  been  sent  by 
Virginia  to  drive  the  French  from  their  settlements  on  the 
bay  of  Fundy,  vis^ited,  on  his  return,  the  Duicli  un  Hud- 
son's river.  Claiming  the  country  for  his  nation,  by  right 
of  prior  discovery,  he  demanded  their  acknowledgment 
of  its  authority.  Being  few  in  number,  they  prudently  sub- 
mitted, without  attempting  to  resist. 

But,  receiving  a  reinforcement,  the  next  year,  they  again 
asserted  the  right  of  Holland  to  the  country,  and  erected 
fort  Amsterdam,  on  the  south  end  of  the  island.  The  Eng- 
lish, for  many  years,  forbore  to  interfere  in  their  pursuits 
or  claim*:.  In  1621,  the  republic,  desirous  of  founding  a 
colony  in  America,  granted  to  the  Dutch  West  India  com- 
pany, an  extensive  territory  on  both  sides  of  the  Hudson. 
The  country  was  called  New  Netherlands.  The  bounda- 
ries were  not  accurately  defined,  but  were  considered,  by 
the  company,  as  including  Connecticut  river  at  the  north, 
and  Delaware  river  at  the  south. 

In  1623,  they  erected  a  fort  on  the  Delaware,  which, 
they  called  Nassau  ;  and,  ten  ysars  afterwards,  an  oth- 
er on  the  Connecticut,  which  they  called  Good  Hope« 
Near  the  former,  the  Swedes  had  a  settlement.  From  the 
Interfering  claims  of  the  tn^o  nations,  (quarrels  arose  be* 


■*>..> 


70 


NEW-YORK. 


ivreen  the  settlers,  which,  after  continuing  several  years, 
terminated  in  the  subjugation  of  the  Swedes.  Towards 
the  fort  on  the  Connecticut,  the  settlements  of  the  English 
rapidly  appro»ched,  and  soon  occasioned  disputes,  which 
had  a  longer  duration  and  a  different  result. 

The  Dutch  did  not  escape  the  calamity  of  war  with  the 
savages.  Hostilities  commenced  in  1643,  continued  seve- 
ral years,  and  were  very  destructive  to  both  parties. 
William  Kieft,  the  governor  of  the  New  Netherlands,  in- 
vited Captain  Underbill,  who  bad  been  a  soldier  in  Europe, 
and  had  m  de  himself  conspicuous  in  New-Hampshire,  for 
his  eccentricities  in  religion  and  conduct,  to  take  command 
of  his  troops.  Collecting  a  flying  party  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  men,  he  was  enabled  to  preserve  the  Dutch  set- 
tlements from  total  destruction.  The  number  of  Indians, 
whom  he  killed  in  the  course  of  the  war,  was  supposed  to 
exceed  four  hundred.  In  16-16,  a  severe  battle  was  fought 
on  that  part  of  Horse-neck  called  Strickland's  Plain.  The 
Dutch  were  victorious  ;  on  both  sides  great  numbers  were 
slain  ;  and  for  a  century  afterwards  the  graves  of  the  dead 
were  distinctly  visible. 

In  Ibdii,  Peter  Stuyvesant,  then  the  able  governor  of 
the  New-Netherlands,  met  the  commissioners  of  the  New- 
England  colonies  at  Hartford,  where,  after  much  alterca- 
tion, a  line  of  partition  between  their  respective  territories 
was  fixed  by  mutual  agreement.  Long  island  was  divided 
between  them  ;  the  Dutch  retained  the  lands  which  they 
occupied  in  Connecticut,  surrendering  their  claim  to  the 
residue. 

But  Charles  the  Second,  denying  their  right  to  any  por- 
tion of  the  country,  determined  to  expel  them  from  it.  In 
1664,  he  granted  to  his  brother,  the  Duke  of  ^ork  and 
Albany,  all  the  territory  between  Nova-Scotia  and  Dela- 
ware Bay ;  and  though  England  and  Holland  were  then 
at  peace,  immediately  sent  three  ships  and  three  hundred 
troops  to  put  him  in  possession  of  his  grant.  Colonel 
Robert  Nichols  conducted  the  expedition.  The  squadron^ 
having  visited  Boston,  reached  the  place  of  its  destination 
in  August. 

The  commander  summoned  governor  Stuyvesant  to  8ur< 
render  the  town,  promising  to  secure  to  the  inhabitants 
iUeir  Uves,  liberty,  and  property,    At  first,  he  refused  i 


'.'is- 


KEW-TORK< 


« 


■Jt' 


M 


M 


but  the  magistrates  and  people,  allured  by  the  proffered 
terms,  constrained  him  to  consent.  Fort  Orange  surren- 
dered, soon  after,  to  Sir  George  Carteret.  In  compliment 
to  the  Duke,  the  name,  Manhattan,  was  changed  to  New- 
York,  and  Orange  to  Albany. 

Nichols  assumed  the  government  of  the  country  he  bad 
conquered,  and  continued,  for  three  years,  to  rule  over  it, 
with  absolute  power,  but  with  great  lenity  and  justice. 
During  his  administration.  New- York  was  made  a  city. 
Upon  his  return  to  England,  he  was  succeeded  by  Colonel 
Lovelace,  who  administered  the  government  with  equal 
moderation. 

In  1673,  England  and  Holland  being  then  at  war,  a  few 
Dutch  ships  were  despatched  to  reconquer  the  country. 
On  their  arrival  at  Statin  Island,  a  short  distance  from  the 
city,  John  Manning,  who  had  command  of  the  fort,  sent 
down  a  messenger  and  treacherously  made  terms  with  the 
enemy.  The  Dutch  sailed  up  the  harbor,  landed  their 
men,  and  took  possession  of  the  fort  and  city,  without  fir- 
ing or  receiving  a  shot. 

Captain  Anthony  Colve  was  appointed  governor,  but  he 
retained  the  authority  for  a  few  months  only.  The  next 
year,  peace  was  concluded,  and  the  country  restored  to 
the  English.  The  Duke  obtained  a  new  patent,  confirm- 
ing his  title  to  the  province,  and  appointed  major  Andross, 
the  same  wiio  was  afterwards  the  tyrant  of  New-England, 
to  be  governor  over  his  territories  in  America. 

Neither  the  administration  of  Andross,  nor  that  of  his 
successor,  Anthony  Brockholst,  was  distinguished  by  any 
remarkable  event.  In  1682,  Colonel  Thomas  Dongan, 
who,  as  well  as  the  Duke,  was  a  Roman  Catholic,  was  ap- 
pointed governor,  and  the  next  year  arrived  in  the  colony. 
Until  this  time,  the  governor  and  council  had  possessed  ab- 
solute power.  The  inhabitants,  who,  whether  Dutch  or 
English,  were  born  the  subjects  of  a  state  comparatively 
free,  having,  in  an  address  to  the  Duke,  claimed  a  share  in 
the  legislative  authority,  colonel  Dongan  was  directed  to 
allow  the  freeholders  to  meei  and  choose  representatives. 

On  the  17th  of  October,  the  first  assembly  met,  consist- 
ing of  the  council  and  eighteen  representatives.  By  the 
declaration  of  the  governor,  they  were  invested  with  the 
sole  power  of  enacting  laws  and  levying  taxes ;  but  the 


«. 


72 


NEW-YORK. 


Inws  could  have  no  force  until  ratified  by  the  Duke.  Witir 
this  participation  of  power,  the  people  were  gratitied  and 
contented  ;  and  the  colony  began  to  enjoy  the  inestimable 
advantages  of  a  regular  government. 

The  interior  of  New- York  was  originally  inhabited  by 
a  confederacy  which  consisted  at  first  of  five,  and  after- 
wards of  six,  nations  of  Indians.  This  confederacy  was 
formed  for  mutual  defence  against  ihe  Algonquins,  a  pow- 
erful Canadian  nation,  and  displayed  much  of  the  wisdom 
and  sagacity  which  mark  the  institutions  of  a  civilized  peo- 
ple. By  their  union,  they  had  become  formidable  to  the 
surrounding  tribes.  Being  the  allies  of  the  English,  the 
French  were  alarmed  at  their  successes,  ai..^  became  jea* 
lous  of  their  power. 

In  1684,  De  la  Barre,  the  goveruor  of  Canada,  marched 
to  attack  them,  with  an  army  of  seventeen  hundred  men. 
His  troops  suffered  so  much  from  hardships,  famine,  and 
sickness,  that  he  was  compelled  to  ask  peace  of  those  whom 
he  had  come  to  exterminate.  He  invitod  the  chiefs  of  the 
five  nations  to  meet  him  at  his  camp,  {ind  those  of  three 
of  them  accepted  the  invitation.  Standing  in  a  circle, 
formed  by  the  chiefs  and  his  own  officers,  he  addressed  a 
speech  to  Garrangula,  of  the  Onondago  tribe,  in  which  he 
accused  the  confederates  of  conducting  the  English  to  the 
trading  grounds  of  the  French,  and  threatened  them  with 
war  and  extermination  if  they  did  not  alter  their  behavior. 

Garrangula,  knowing  the  distresses  of  the  French  troops, 
heard  these  threats  with  contempt.  After  walking  five  or 
«ix  times  round  the  circle,  he  aiklressedthe  following  bold 
and  sarcastic  language  to  De  la  Barrc,  calling  him  Yonnon- 
dio,  and  the  English  governor,  Corlear. 

"  Yonnondio,  I  honor  you.  and  the  warriors  that  are  with 
me  likewise  honor  you.  Your  interpreter  has  finished 
your  speech  ;  I  now  begin  mine.  My  words  make  haste 
to  reach  your  ears  ;  hearken  to  them. 

*' Yonnondio,  you  must  have  believed,  wlien  you  lel'f 
Q,uebec,  that  the  sun  had  consumed  all  the  forests  which 
render  our  country  inaccessible  to  the  French,  or  that  the 
great  lakes  had  overflown  their  banks  and  surrounded  our 
Cinstles,  so  that  it  was  impossible  for  us  to  get  out  of  them. 
Yes,  Yonnondio,  you  must  have  dreamed  so,  and  the  curi' 
ogity  of  so  great  a  wonder  has  brought  you  so  far.     Now 


% 


i.(f 


■a 


VEW-YORR. 


73 


nbited  by 
md  after 
racy  was 
3,  a  pow- 
e  wisdom 
ized  peo- 
ble  to  the 
glisb,  the 
came  jea- 

,  marched 
Ired  men. 
mine,  and 
lose  whom 
liefs  of  the 
5  of  three 
I  a  circle, 
ddressed  a 

which  he 
lish  to  the 
them  with 

behavior. 

ch  troops, 

ing  five  01 
owing  bold 
m  Yonnon- 

at  arc  with 
ms  finished 
[iiake  haste 

en  you  lelf 
•ests  which 

or  that  the 
ounded  our 
ut  of  them, 
id  the  curi- 

far.    Now 


■•'m 


;»& 


>^ou  are  undeceived,  for  I,  and  the  warriors  here  present, 
are  cume  to  assure  you,  that  the  Senecas,  Cayugas,  Onon- 
degas,  Oneydoes,  and  Mohawks,  are  yet  alive. 

**  i  thank  you,  in  their  name,  for  bringing  back  into  their 
country  the  pipe  of  peace,  which  your  predecessor  re- 
ceived from  their  hands.  It  was  happy  for  you  that  you 
left  under  ground  that  murdering  hatchet  which  has  been 
so  often  dyed  in  the  blood  of  the  French.  Hear,  Yonnon- 
4io,  1  do  not  sleep ;  I  have  my  eyes  open,  and  the  sun  which 
enlightens  me,  discovers  to  me  a  great  captain,  at  the  head 
of  a  company  of  soldiers,  who  speaks  as  if  he  was  dream- 
ing. He  says  that  he  only  came  to  smoke  loe  great  pipe  of 
peace,  with  4he  Onondagas.  But  Garrangula  says,  that  he 
sees  the  contrary  ;  that  it  was  to  knock  them  on  the  head, 
if  sickness  had  not  weakened  the  arms  of  the  French. 

**  We  carried  the  Englich  to  our  Lakes,  to  trade  there 
with  the  Utawawas,  and  Quatoghjes,  as  the  Adirondacs 
brought  the  French  to  our  castles  to  carry  on  a  trade  which 
the  English  say  is  theirs.  We  are  born  free  ;  we  neither 
depend  on  Yonnondio  nor  Corlear.  We  may  go  where  we 
please,  and  buy  and  sell  what  we  please.  If  your  alHes  are 
your  slaves,  use  them  as  such  ;  command  them  to  receive 
no  other  but  your  people. 

^'Hear,  Yonnondio  ;  what  I  say  is  the  voice  of  all  the 
Five  Nations.  When  they  buried  the  hatchet  at  Cadaracui, 
in  the  middle  of  the  fort,  they  planted  the  tree  of  peace  in 
the  same  place,  to  be  there  carefully  preserved,  that  in- 
stead of  a  retreat  for  soldiers,  the  fort  might  be  a  rendez- 
vous for  merchants.  Take  care  that  the  many  soldiers  who 
appear  there,  do  not  choke  the  tree  of  peace,  and  prevent 
V  from  covering  your  country  and  ours  with  its  branches. 
I  assure  you  that  our  warriors  shall  dance  under  its  leaves, 
and  will  never  dig  up  the  hatchet  to  cut  it  down,  till  their 
brotl}er  Yonnondio  or  Corlear  shall  invade  the  country 
which  the  Great  Spirit  has  given  to  our  ancestors." 

De  la  Barre  was  mortified  and  enraged  at  this  bold  reply ; 
but,  submitting  to  necessity,  he  concluded  a  treaty  of 
peace,  and  returned  to  Montreal.  His  successor,  De  Non- 
ville,  led  a  larger  army  against  the  confederates  ;  but  fell 
into  an  ambuscade  and  was  defeated.  These  wars  within 
the  limits  of  the  colony,  kept  colonel  Dongan  actively  em- 

7 


74 


ircw>voRK< 


ployed,  aDd  nerved  to  perpetuate  the  enmH,;  <  il^c  laditttit 
against  the  French,  and  their  attachment  to  i.>"-  \utvji*\\. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  duke  of  York  ascended  the  throne- 
of  England.  Claiming  unlimited  authority  as  king,  and 
professing  the  Catholic  religion,  he  was  hated  and  fear- 
ed by  a  great  portion  of  the  inhabitants,  who  were  devoted 
to  the  cause  of  freedom,  and  to  the  principles  of  the  pro- 
testants.  The  governor  was  also  an  object  of  their  dislike 
and  distrust.  Catholics,  countenanced  by  him,  repaired 
ip  great  numbers  to  the  colony,  and  pious  protestants 
trembled  for  their  religion. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  year  1689,  information  was  re- 
ceived from  England  that  the  people  had  resolved  to  de- 
throne their  sovereign,  and  offer  the  crown  to  William, 
prince  of  Orange ;  and  from  Massachusetts,  that  the  citi- 
!%  zens  had  deposed  and  imprisoned  sir  Edmund  Andross. 

their  governor.  This  encouraged  the  disafiTected,  and  pre- 
sented an  example  for  their  imitation. 

Several  militia  captains  assembled  to  determine  on  the 
ipeasures  expedient  to  be  adopted.  Of  these,  Jacob  Leis- 
ler  was  the  most  active.  He  was  destitute  of  every  quali- 
fication  necessary  to  conduct  a  difficult  enterprise,  but 
possessed  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  the  other  officers ; 
and  of  the  people.  Milborne,  his  son-in-law ,  concerted  all 
his  measures,  and  controlled  his  conduct. 

They  determined  to  obtain  possession  of  the  fort.  Leis^ 
ler  entered  it  with  fifty  men,  and  published  a  declaration 
in  favor  of  the  prince  of  Orange,  The  magistrates  and  most 
respectable  citizens  discountenanced  the  proceeding,  and, 
at  first,  but  few  had  the  courage  to  declare  themselves  his 
friends.  To  induce  them  to  act,  a  report  was  circulated 
that  three  ships,  with  orders  from  the  prince,  were  sailing 
up  the  harbor.  His  parly  was  instantly  augmented  by  six 
captains,  and  nearly  five  hundred  men,  a  force  sufficient  to 
overpower  all  opposition. 

Before  these  disturbances,  colonel  Dongan  had  resigned 
his  office,  and  embarked  for  England.  Lieutenant-governor 
Nicholson,  unable  to  contend  with  Leisler,  absconded  in 
the  night.  The  province  being  thus  left  without  a  chief 
magistrate,  Leisler  was  promoted,  by  his  adherents,  to  that 
siation.  He  sent  an  address  to  king  William  and  queen 
Mary,  whose  authority  he  acknowledged,  and,  soon  after 


]ICW*V0IIK. 


n 


^  prtvate  letter  to  the  king,  expre^iiing,  in  low  and  incor- 
rect language,  the  warmetit  protestations  ot'lovalty  and  zeal. 

His  sudden  elevation  excited  the  envy  of  those  magis- 
trates and  citizens  who  had  declined  to  join  him  J^  pro- 
claiming king  Willinm.  Bayard  and  Courtlandt,  ^^ble  te 
raise  a  party  against  him  in  the  city,  retired  lo  Albany, 
where  their  exertions  were  xuccessful.  To  diminish  their 
influence,  and  to  allay  the  jealousy  of  others,  he  invited 
several  worthy  citizens  to  unite  with  him  in  admini*«tering 
the  government,  a  trust  which  hud  been  confided  to  him 
ulone,  by  the  militia. 

in  a  few  months,  however,  a  letter  arrived  from  the  min- 
istry in  England,  directed  *'•  to  such  as,  for  the  time  being, 
take  care  for  administering  the  laws  of  the  province,**  and 
conferring  authority  to  perform  all  the  duties  of  lieutenant- 
governor.  Leisler  considered  this  letter  addressed  to  him- 
self, assumed  the  authority  conferred,  appointed  his  coun- 
cil, and  issued  commissions  in  his  own  name. 

The  people  of  Albany,  led  by  Bayard,  Courtlandt,  and 
Livingston,  acknowledged  king  William,  but  refused  to  sub- 
mit to  Leisler«  Milborne  was  sent  uith  a  body  of  troops 
to  enforce  obedience,  but,  finding  them  united,  he  return- 
ed without  attempting  it.  The  next  spring,  going  with  a 
stronger  force,  he  succeeded,  'i'hc  leaders  of  the  party 
fled,  and  their  property  was  confiscated.  This  arbitrary 
and  unjust  measure  so  exasperated  the  sufferers,  that  they 
and  their  posterity  long  retained  the  most  violent  animosi- 
ty against  Leisler  and  his  adherents. 

During  these  troubles  in  the  colony,  war  was  declared 
between  France  and  England  De  Nonville  being  recalled, 
Count  Frontenac  was  appointed  governoi*  of  Canada.  In 
January,  1690,  he  despatched  several  parties  against  the 
English  settlements. 

One  of  these,  consisting  of  Frenchmen  and  Caghnuaga 
Indians,  was  sent  against  Albany,  but  resolved  to  attack 
Schenectady.  To  the  inhabitants  of  this  village,  informa- 
tion was  given  of  their  danger ;  but  they,  judging  it  impos- 
sible for  the  enemy  t«  march  several  hundred  miles  in  the 
depth  of  winter,  disregarded  the  intelligence.  No  regular 
fvatch  was  kept,  nor  military  order  observed. 

The  French  and  Indians  arrived  near  the  town  on  the 
ei^ih  -of  Ffibraarj,   The;r  divided  their  number  into  small 


■# 


m^ 


NEW-YORK. 


]>artie3,  that  every  house  might  be  invested  at  the  sanM* 
tiwi.  On  Saturday  night,  at  eleven  oVlock,  they  entered 
at  the  gates  which  they  found  unshnt.  The  inhabitants 
havingretired  to  rest,  universal  stillness  reigned.  Sud- 
denly^n  every  quarter,  the  horrid  yell  was  heard.  They 
sprang  from  their  beds,  conscious  of  the  danger  which  sur- 
rounded them.  Opening  their  doors,  they  met  the  savages, 
with  uplifted  tomahawks,  on  the  threshold.  Each,  at  *^e 
same  instant,  heard  the  cry  of  his  affrighted  neighbor.  Soon 
succeeded  the  groans  of  the  dying.  In  a  few  minutes,  the 
buildings  were  on  6re.  Women  were  butchered,  and  chil- 
dren thrown  alive  into  the  flames.  The  Indians,  frsmtic 
from  slaughter,  ran,  with  fatal  haste,  through  the  village, 
massacreing  many,  who,  in  their  attempts  to  escape,  were 
betrayed  by  the  light  of  their  own  houses. 

Some  eluded  their  pursuers  ;  but  a  fate  almost  as  dread- 
ful awaited  them.  They  were  naked ;  a  furious  storm  came 
on  ;  Albany,  their  only  refuge,  was  at^  distance ;  and  often 
their  terror  converted  into  savages  the  trees  and  wild 
beasts  which  they  saw  in  their  flight.  Part  arrived  in  safety ; 
twenty-five  lost  their  limbs  by  the  severity  of  the  cold.  At 
Schenectady,  sixty  were  killed,  and  twenty-five  made  pris- 
oners. 

To  avenge  these  barbarities,  and  others  perpetrated  in 
New-England,  a  combined  expedition  against  Canada  was 
projected.  An  army,  raised  in  New-York  and  Connecti- 
cut, proceeded  as  far  as  the  head  of  lake  Champlain, 
whence,  finding  no  boats  prepared,  they  were  obliged  to  re- 
turn. Sir  William  Phipps,  with  a  fleet  of  more  than  thirty 
vessels,  sailed  from  Boston  into  the  St.  Lawrence^  and, 
landing  a  body  of  troops,  made  an  attack  by  land  and  water 
upon  Quebec ;  but  the  return  of  the  army  to  New- York, 
allowing  the  whole  force  of  the  enemy  to  repair  to  the  as- 
sistance of  the  garrison,  he  was  obliged  to  abandon  the  en~ 
terprise.  To  the  misconduct  or  incapacity  of  Leisler  and 
Milborne,  the  failure  of  this  expedition  was  attributed. 

As  soon  as  king  William  could  find  leisure  to  <ittend  to 
his  colonies,  he  appointed  colonel  Henry  Sloughter  gov- 
ernor of  New-York,  Never,  was  a  governor  more  neces- 
sary to  the  province,  and  never,  perhaps,  has  it  been  rule<! 
by  one  less  qualified  for  the  station.  He  was  destitute  ol 
talentb,  licentious,  avaricious,  and  a  %|(nkrupt. 


^w^' 


NBW-YORK. 


^' 


Leisler,  when  iDformed  of  this  appotntment^  ought  to 
have  relinquished  the  authority  he  had  exercised  ;  but  he 
was  weak,  intoxicated  with  power,  and  determined  to  re- 
tain it.  Although  twice  required,  he  refulied  to  ^^ender 
the  fort ;  but  sent  two  persons  to  confer  with  thflP>Tem- 
or,  who,  declarin£^  them  rebels,  arrested  and  confined  them. 
Alarmed  by  this  measure,  Leisler  attempted  to  escape,  but 
was  apprehended,  with  many  of  his  adherents, and  brought 
to  trial. 

In  vain  did  they  plead  their  zeal  for  king  William.  In 
vain  did  Leisler  insist  that  the  letter  from  England  author- 
ized him  to  administer  the  government.  They  had  lately 
resisted  a  governor  with  a  regular  commission,  and  this  go- 
vernor, and  a  subservient  court,  were  resolved  upon  theii 
conviction.  Leisler  and  Milborne  were  condemned  to  death 
for  high  treason. 

Soon  after  their  trial,  the  affairs  of  the  province  required 
Sloughter's  presence  at  Albany.  The  faction  opposed  to 
them,  entreated  him,  before  his  departure,  to  sign  the  war* 
rant  for  their  execution  ;  but  he,  unwilling  to  sacrifice  two 
men,  who,  thoiigh  they  had  sometimes  erred,  had  served 
his  master  with  zeal,  refused.  Unable  to  effect  their  pur* 
pose  by  persuasion,  they  resorted  to  a  detestable  expe- 
dient  A  sumptuous  feast  was  prepared,  to  which  the  go* 
vernor^^s  invited.  When  he  had  drunk  to  intoxication, 
they  pres<bnted  him  the  warrant,  which  he  signed,  and  when 
he  had  recovered  his  senses,  the  prisoners  were  no  more. 
On  application  to  the  king,  their  estates,  which  had  been 
confiscated,  were  restored  to  their  heirs.  Their  bodies 
were  afterwards  taken  up  and  interred,  with  great  pomp, 
in  the  old  Dutch  church ;  and  their  descendants  are  con- 
sidered honored,  rather  than  disgraced,  by  the  conduct 
and  fall  of  their  ancestors. 

In  July,  1691,  Sloughter,  having  returned  from  Albany, 
onded,  by  a  sudden  death,  a  short,  weak,  and  turbulent  ad- 
ministration. About  the  same  time,  major  Peter  Schuyler, 
at  the  head  of  three  hundred  Mohawks,  made  a  sudden  and 
bold  attack  upon  the  French  settlements,  at  the  north  end 
of  Lake  Champlain.  An  army  of  eight  hundred  men  was 
despatched  from  Montreal  to  oppose  him.  Wuh  these  he 
had  several  irregular,  but  successful  conflict^  ;  in  which  he 

7* 


<i . 


78 


NEW-YORK, 


mm 

ail'  ill 


killed  a  number  of  the  enemy,  greater  than  that  of  his  vihoie 
party. 

In  1692,  colonel  Fletcher  arrived  as  successor  to  Slough- 
ter.  1^  was  a  good  soldier,  was  active,  avaricious,  and 
passioflb.  From  the  talents  and  information  of  major 
Schuyler,  he  derived  great  assistance,  and  was  governed 
by  his  advice,  particularly  in  transactions  relative  to  the 
Indians. 

As  a  great  portion  of  the  inhabitants  were  Dutch,  all  the 
governors,  to  produce  uniformity  in  religion  and  language, 
had  encouraged  English  preachers  and  school-masters  to 
settle  in  the  colony.  No  one  pursued  this  object  wtth  more 
zeal  than  Fletcher,  who  was  devoted  to  the  church  of  Eng- 
land. At  tw(T'  successive  sessions,  he  recommended  the 
subject  to  the  attention  of  the  assembly  ;  but  the  members, 
being  generally  attached  to  the  church  of  Holland,  disre- 
garded his  recommendations.  For  this  neglect,  he  gave 
them  a  severe  reprimand. 

The  subject  being  laid  before  them,  at  a  subsequent  ses- 
sion, they  passed  a  bill  providing  for  the  settlement,  in 
certain  parishes,  of  ministers  of  the  gospel,  to  be  chosen 
by  the  people.  The  council  added  an  amendment,  giving 
to  the  governor  the  power  of  approval  or  rejection.  The 
house  refused  toconcur  in  the  amendment,  at  which  Fletch- 
er was  so  much  enraged,  that  he  commanded  th^j^nstant- 
ly  to  attend  him,  and,  addressing  them  in  an  ang^^peech. 
prorogued  them  to  the  iiext  year. 

In  1697,  a  peace,  which  gave  security  and  repose  to  the 
colonies,  was  concluded  between  Great  Britnin  and  France. 
The  next  year,  the  earl  of  Beliamont  was  appointed  go- 
vernor.  He  was  particularly  instructed  to  clear  the  Ameri- 
can seas  of  the  pirates  who  infested  them,  and  who,  it 
was  suspected,  had  even  received  encouragement  from 
Fletcher. 

The  government  declining  to  furnish  the  necessary  na- 
val force,  the  earl  engaged,  with  others,  in  a  private  un- 
dertaking against  them.  The  associates,  ppocuiing  a  ves- 
sel of  war,  gave  the  command  of  it  to  a  captain  Kid,  and 
sent  him  to  cruise  against  the  pirates.  He  had  been  but  a 
short  time  at  sea,  when,  disregarding  his  instructions,  he 
made  a  new  contract  with  his  crew,  and,  on  the  Atlantic 
and  Indian  Oceans,  became  hiiDself  a  darings  atrocious,  and 
Buccessful  pirate. 


>:I3 


.# 


"% 


WEW-'VOHK. 


70 


bis  tvbok 

0  Slough- 
ious,  and 
of  major 
governed 
ive  to  the 

ch,  all  the 
language, 
masters  to 
with  naore 
:h  of  Eng- 
lended  the 
members, 
tnd,  disre- 
t,  he  gave 

iquent  ses- 
lement,  in 
be  chosen 
lent,  giving 
ion.  The 
ich  Fletch- 
€y3^nstant- 
^^^peech. 

>pose  to  the 
md  France, 
pointed  go- 
the  Ameri- 
ind  who,  it 
iment  from 


n 


Three  years  afterwards,  he  returned,  burned  his  shipi, 
and,  wi^h  a  strange  infatuation,  appeared  publicly  at  Bos- 
ton. He  ^vas  apprehended  and  sent  to  England,  where  he 
was  tried  nnd  executed.  The  earl  and  his  partner9|||^e  of 
whom  resided  in  England,  were  accused  of  sharmPm  his 
plunder,  but  in  all  his  examinations  he  declared  them  in- 
nocent, u 

Notwithstanding  the  death  of  Leislelrt^the  people  were 
still  divided  into  Leislerians  atid  anti  Leislerians.  Fletch- 
er had  been  the  instrument  of  the  latter ;  Lord  Bellamout 
espoused  fhe  cause  of  the  former.  fJe,  however,  perse- 
cuted no  one  ;  but  exercised  authority  with  justice  and 
moderation.     He  died  in  1701. 

The  next  year,  Lord  Cornbury  was  aofipinted  governor. 
He  presented  a  striking  proof  of  the  follj^  hereditary  dis- 
tinctions. He  was  the  son  of  the  celebrated  earl  of  Cla- 
rendon ;  but  possessed  not  one  of  the  virtues  of  his  ances« 
tor.  Mean,  profligate,  and  unprincipled,  he  was  a  burden 
to  his  friends  at  home,  and  was  sent  to  America  to  be  be- 
yond the  reach  of  his  creditors, 

He  declared  himself  an  anti-Leislerian,  and  the  first  as- 
sembly that  he  sunjimoned,  was  composed  principally  of  men 
of  that  party.  They  presented  him  two  thousand  pounds 
to  defray  the  expenses  of  his  voyage.  They  raised  several 
sums  of^oney  for  public  purposes,  but  the  expenditure 
being  intrusted  to  him  as  governor,  he  appropriated  most 
of  it  to  his  own  use. 

His  acts  of  injustice  and  oppression  ;  his  prodigality ;  his 
indecent  and  vulgar  manners,  rendered  him  universally 
odious.  In  1 708,  the  assemblies  of  New- York  and  of  New- 
Jcrsef^^of  which  colony  he  was  also  governor,  complained 
to  the  queen  of  his  misconduct.  She  removed  him  from 
office  i^he  was  soon  after  arrested  by  his  creditors,  and  re- 
mained in  custody  until  the  death  of  his  illustrious  father, 
when  he  returned  to  England  and  took  his  seat  in  the  house 
of  lords. 

A  proceeding  of  the  house  of  representatives,  near  the 
close  of  his  administration,  ought  not  to  be  passed  over 
without  notice.  Wearied  by  their  sufferings,  they  appoint- 
ed a  committee  of  grievances,  who  reported  a  series  of 
resolutions  having  reference  to  recent  transactions,  which 
resolutions  were  adopted  by  the  |»9use.     One  of  them 


4 


'^■\,it4 


80 


NEW-VORK. 


t 


llilll' 

ffi" 

>ll ' 
1  ii  III 

vl'fflHfl^ 

fl|i 

H 

ffl  ii' 

tl^^^^^HBBit 

in  energetic  language,  asserted  the  principle,  '*  that  the 
imposing  and  levying  of  any  moneys  upon  her  majesty'; 
subjects  of  this  colony,  under  any  pretence  or  color  what-^ 
soevoMf^ithout  consent  in  general  assembly,  is  a  grievance 
and  trpKlation  of  the  people's  property."  It  is  not  unin- 
structive  to  observe  how  early,  in  some  of  the  colonies, 
were  sown  the  seeds  of  the  American  revolution. 

In  1710,  general  Hunter,  who  had  been  appointed  go- 
vernor, arrived  in  the  province.  He  brought  with  him 
near  three  thousand  Germans,  some  of  whom  settled  in 
, New- York,  and  some  in  Pennsylvania.  The  latter  trans- 
mitted to  their  native  land  such  favorable  accounts  of  the 
country  which  they  had  chosen  for  their  residence,  that 
many  others  folloiyed  and  settled  in  that  colony.  The  nu- 
merous descendants  of  these  Germans  are  honest,  indus- 
trious, and  useful  citizens. 

The  prodigality  of  Lord  Cornbury,  had  taught  the  as- 
sembly an  important  lesson.  Before  his  removal,  they  had 
obtained  from  the  queen  permission,  in  cases  of  special  ap- 
propriations, to  appoint  their  own  treasurer.  They  now 
passed  a  bill  confiding  to  this  officer  the  disbursement  oi' 
certain  sums  appropriated  for  ordinary  purposes.  The 
council  proposed  an  amendment.  The  house  denied  the 
right  of  that  body  to  amend  a  money  bill.  Both  continuing 
obstinate,  the  goyernor  prorogued  them,  and  at  t^ir  next 
session  dissolved  them. 

At  this  time,  war  existed  between  England  and  France. 
In  1709,  expensive  preparations  were  made  for  an  attack 
upon  Car.ada;  but  the  promised  assistance  not  irriving  from 
England,  the  enterprise  was  abandoned.  In  1711,  the  pro- 
ject was  reisumed.  A  fleet  sailed  up  the  St.  Lawrence,  to 
attack  Qjuebec;  and  an  army  of  four  thousand  men,  raised 
by  New- York,  New-Jersey,  and  Connecticut,  marched  to 
invade  Canada,  by  the  route  of  lake  Champlain.  The  fleet, 
shattered  by  a  storm,  was  compelled  to  return.  The  army, 
informed  of  the  disasters  of  the  fleet,  returned  also,  having 
ac6ompIished  nothing. 

The  i^ople,  approving  the  conduct  of  their  representa- 
tivM'in  relation  to  the  revenue,  had  re-elected  nearly  ali 
of , them,  and  they  were  now  in  session.  To  defray  the  e'i- 
penses  of  the  late  expedition,  they  passed  several  bills 
which  were  amended  in  the  council.     Between  these  two 


1-4 


^n» 


IfBW-VORK. 


81 


bodies,  an  other  contest  ensued.  The  representatives, 
deriving  their  authority  from  the  people,  considered  them- 
Aelves  bound  to  watch  over  the  expenditure  of  their  money. 
The  council,  deriving  their  authority  from  the  sanne  source 
as  the  governor,  were  desirous  of  increasing  his  iiiuence 
by  giving  him  the  management  of  the  revenue.  During 
this,  and  a  subsequent  session,  both  continued  inflexible. 
The  governor,  provoked  at  the  obstinacy  of  the  represen- 
tatives, dissolved  the  assembly. 

At  the  ensuing  election,  which  was  warmly  contested, 
most  of  the  members  chosen,  were  opposed  to  ihe  gover- 
nor. This  assembly  was  dissolved  by  tiie  death  of  the 
queen.  The  next  was  dissolved  by  the  governor,  soon  af- 
ter it  first  met,  a  majority  of  the  representatives  being 
known  to  be  unfriendly  to  his  views.  The  people  became 
weary  of  contending.  Most  of  the  members  chosen  at  the 
succeeding  election,  were  his  friends  and  partisans,  and, 
for  several  years,  the  utmost  harmony  existed  between  the 
different  branches  of  the  government. 

Governor  Hunter  quitted  the  province  in  17t9,  and  his 
authority  devolved  on  Peter  Schuyler,  the  oldest  member 
of  the  council.  The  next  year,  William  Burnet,  son  ©f  the 
celebrated  bishop  of  lhnt  name,  was  appointed  governor. 
Turning  his  attention  tov^ards  the  wilderness,  he  perceived 
that  the  French,  in  order  to  connect  their  settlements  in 
Canada  and  Louisiana,  to  secure  to  themselves  the  Indian 
trade,  and  to  confine  the  English  to  the  sea  coast,  were 
busily  employed  in  erecting  a  chain  of  forts  from  the  St. 
Lawrence  to  the  Mississippi. 

He  endeavored  to  defeat  their  design,  by  building  a 
trading  house,  and  afterwards  a  fort,  at  Oswego,  on  lake 
Ontario.  But  the  French  had  the  command  of  mote  abun- 
dant resources,  and  applied  th<>m  to  the  accomplishment  of 
their  object,  with  great  activity  and  zeal.  They  launched 
two  vessels  upon  that  lake  ;  and,  going  farther  into  the  wil- 
derness, erected  afortat  Niagara, commandingthe  entrance 
into  it;  they  had  previously  erected  fort  Froiil^iKtc,  coti- 
nianding  the  outlet. 

The  assembly,  elected  m  1716,  had  been  so  obsequious 
to  the  governor,  that  he  continued  it  in  existence  until  the 
clamors  of  the  people  induced  him,  in  1727,  to  dissolve  it. 
That  which  next  met,  was  composed  entirely  of  his  o|>pa- 


•itv/i.,.,    ^. 


8S 


%• 


NEW-tORK. 


[I  ■   1 
111     ' 

li''    lit. 


nents.  The  court  of  chancery,  in  which  he  presided,  had 
become  exceedingly  unpopular.  It  had  been  instituted  by 
an  ordinance  of  the  governor  and  council,  without  the  con- 
currence of  the  assembly  ;  the  mode  of  proceeding  was 
novel  l^and  some  of  the  decisions  had  given  ureat  offence 
to  powerful  individurls.  The  house  passed  resolutions  de- 
claring it  **  a  manifest  oppression  and  grievance,"  and  in- 
timating that  its  decrees  were  void.  The  governor  instant- 
ly called  the  assembly  before  him,  and  dissolved  it. 

Being  soon  after  appointed  governor  of  Massachusetts, 
he  was  succeeded  by  colonel  Montgomery,  upon  whose 
death,  in  1731,  the  supreme  authority  devolved  upon  Rip 
Van  Dam,  the  senior  member  of  the  council.  Under  his 
short  and  inefficient  administration,  the  French  were  per- 
mitted to  erect  a  fort  at  Crown  Point,  within  the  acknow- 
ledged boundaries  of  New- York,  from  which  parties  of  sav- 
ages were  oflen  secretly  despatched  to  destroy  the  English 
settlements. 

Van  Dam  was  superseded  by  William  Cosby,  who  arrived 
in  August,  1732.  Having  been  the  advocate  in  parliament, 
of  the  American  colonies,  he  was  at  first  popular,  but  soon 
lost  the  affection  and  confidence  of  the  peuple.  By  his  in- 
stigation, one  Zenger,  the  printer  of  a  newspaper,  was  pros- 
ecuted for  publishing  an  article  declared  to  be  derogatory 
to  the  dignity  of  his  majesty's  government.  He  was  zeal- 
ously defended  by  able  counsel,  and  an  independent  jury 
gave  a  verdict  of  acquittal.  The  people  applauded  their 
conduct,  and  the  magistrates  of  the  city  of  New  York  pre- 
sented to  Andreiv  Hamilton,  one  of  his  defenders,  the  free- 
dom of  the  city,  in  a  gold  box,  and  their  thanks  for  **  his 
learned  and  generous  defence  of  the  rights  of  mankind,  and 
the  liberty  of  the  press." 

Governor  Cosby  died  in  1736,  and  was  succeeded  by 
George  Clark,  at  that  time  senior  counsellor,  but  soon  af- 
ter appointed  V>eulcaant-governor«  Again  was  revived  the 
contest  which  had  ended,  t^v  nty  years  before,  in  the  vic- 
tory gaine^j^by  governor  Hunter,  over  the  house  of  repre-^ 
Bentativeg.  The  colony  being  in  debt,  the  house  voted  to 
raise  the  sum  of  six  thousand  pounds  ;  but,  in  order  to  pre- 
vent its  misapplication,  declared,  that  it  should  be  applied 
to  the  payment  of  certain  specified  debts.  Offended  by  this 
vot^t  Clark  resorted  to  the  expedient  which  h»d  usually 


NEW-VORK. 


83 


been  adopted  to  punish  or  intimidate ;  he  immediately  difl- 
solved  the  assembly. 

At  the  next  election,  great  exerlions  were  made  by  the 
opposing  parties.  The  popular  party  was  triumphant.  At 
their  second  session,  the  house  voted  an  address  to  the  lieu  - 
tenant-governor,  which  is  worthy  of  particular  notice.  In 
bold  and  explicit  language,  they  state  some  of  the  vital  prin- 
ciples of  free  government,  refer  to  recent  misapplications 
of  money,  and  proceed  : 

'*  We  therefore  beg  leave  to  be  plain  with  your  honor, 
and  hope  you  will  not  take  it  amiss  when  we  tell  you,  that 
you  are  not  to  expect  that  we  will  either  raise  sums  unfit 
to  be  raised,  or  put  what  we  shall  raise,  into  the  power  of 
a  governor  to  misapply,  if  we  can  prevent  it ;  nor  shall  we 
make  up  any  other  deficiencies  than  what  we  conceive  are 
fit  and  just  to  be  paid  ;  nor  continue  what  support  or  rev- 
enue we  shall  raise,  for  any  longer  time  than  one  year  ; 
nor  do  we  think  it  convenient  to  do  even  that,  until  such 
laws  are  passed  as  we  conceive  necessary  for  the  safety  of 
the  inhabitants  of  this  colony,  who  have  reposed  a  trust  in 
us  for  that  only  purpose,  and  which  we  are  sure  you  will 
think  it  reasonable  we  should  act  agreeably  to ;  and  by  the 
grace  of  God  we  shall  endeavor  not  to  deceive  them." 

With  a  body  of  men,  so  resolute  in  asserting  their  rights, 
the  lieutenant  governor  wisely  forebore  to  contend.  He 
thanked  them  for  their  address,  and  promised  his  cordial 
co-operation  in  all  measures  calculated  to  promote  the 
prosperity  of  the  colony.  He  gave  his  assent  to  a  law  pro- 
viding for  the  more  frequent  election  of  representatives  ; 
which  law,  however,  two  years  afterwards,  was  abrogated 
by  the  king. 

But  between  a  house  of  representatives  and  a  chief  ma- 
gistrate, deriving  their  authority  from  different  sources, 
harmony  could  not  long  subsist.  Mr.  Clark,  in  his  speech 
at  the  opening  of  the  next  session,  declared  that  unless  the 
revenue  was  granted  for  as  long  a  time  as  it  had  been 
granted  by  former  assemblies,  his  duty  to  his  majesty  for- 
bade him  from  assenting  to  any  act  for  continuing  the  ex- 
cise, or  for  paying  the  colonial  bills  of  credit.  The  house 
unanimously  resolved,  that  it  would  not  pass  any  bill  for 
the  grant  of  money,  unless  assurance  should  be  given  that 
the  excise  should  be  continued  and  the  bills  of  credit  re- 
deemed. 


^1 


64 


NEW- YORK. 


The  lieutenant  go? ernor  immediately  ordered  the  mem- 
bers to  attend  him.  He  told  them  that  *'  their  proceedings 
were  presumptuous,  dll^ng,  and  unprecedented  ;  that  ho 
could  not  look  upon  them  without  astonishment,  nor  with 
honor  suffer  the  house  to  sit  any  longer ;"  and  he  accord- 
ingly dissolved  it.  Little  more  than  a  year  had  elapsed, 
since  the  members  were  chosen  ;  but  in  that  time  they  had, 
by  their  firm  and  spirited  conduct,  in  support  of  the  rights 
of  the  people,  merited  the  gratitude  of  their  constituents. 

About  this  time,  a  supposed  **  negro  plot"  occasioned 
great  commotion  and  alarm  in  the  city  of  New-York.  The 
frequent  occurrence  of  fires,  most  of  which  were  evident- 
ly caused  by  design,  first  excited  the  jealousy  and  suspi- 
cion of  the  citizens.  Terrified  by  danger  which  lurked 
unseen  in  the  midst  of  them,  they  listened  with  eager  cre- 
dulity to  the  declaration  of  some  abandoned  females,  that 
the  negroes  had  combined  to  burn  the  city  and  make  one 
of  their  number  governor.  Many  were  arrested  and  com- 
mitted to  prison.  Other  witnesses,  not  more  respectable 
than  the  first,  came  forward  ;  other  negroes  were  accused, 
and  even  several  white  men  were  designated  as  concerned 
in  the  plot. 

When  the  time  of  trial  arrived,  so  strong  was  the  preju- 
dice against  the  miserable  negroes,  that  every  lawyer  in  the 
city  volunteered  against  them.  Ignorant  and  unassisted, 
nearly  all  who  were  tried  were  condemned.  Fourteen  were 
sentenced  to  be  burned,  eighteen  to  be  hung,  seventy-one 
to  be  transported,  and  all  these  sentences  were  executed. 
Of  the  whites  two  were  convicted  and  suffered  death. 

All  apprehension  of  danger  having  subsided,  many  began 
to  doubt  whether  any  plot  had  in  fact  been  concerted. 
None  of  the  witnesses  weire  persons  of  credit,  their  stories 
were  extravagant  and  often  contradictory  ;  and  the  project 
was  such  as  none  but  fools  or  madmen  would  form.  The 
two  white  men  were  respectable  ;  one  had  received  a  libe- 
ral education,  but  he  was  a  catholic,  and  the  prejudice 
against  Catholics  was  too  violent  to  permit  the  free  exer- 
cise of  reason.  Some  of  the  accused  were  doubtless  guilty 
of  setting  fire  to  the  city  ;  but  the  proof  of  the  alleged  plot 
was  not  sufficiently  clear  to  justify  the  numerous  and  cruel 
punishments  that  were  inflicted. 

In  April,  1740,  the  assembly  again  met.      It  had  now 


NBW-YOJlK. 


85 


ilsen  to  importance  in  the  colony.  The  adherence  of  th^ 
representatives  to  their  determination,  not  to  grant  the  re- 
venue for  more  than  one  year,  made  annual  meetings  of 
the  assembly  necessary.  This  attachment  to  liberty  was 
mistaken  for  the  desire  of  independence.  Lieutenant  go- 
vernor Clark,  in  a  speech  delivered  in  1741,  alludes  to 
'*  a  jealousy  which  for  some  years  had  obtained  in  England, 
that  the  plantations  were  not  without  thoughts  of  throwing 
off  their  dependence  on  the  crown." 

In  1743,  George  Clinton  was  sent  over  as  governor  of 
the  colony.  Like  most  of  his  predecessors  he  was  wel- 
comed with  joy  }  and  one  of  his  earliest  measures  confirm- 
ed the  favorable  accounts,  which  had  preceded  him,  of  his 
talents  and  liberality.  To  show  his  wilUngness  to  repose 
confidence  in  the  people,  he  assented  to  a  bill  limiting  the 
duration  of  the  present  and  all  succeeding  assemblies.  The 
house  manifested  its  gratitude  by  adopting  the  measures 
he  recommended  for  the  defence  of  the  province  against 
the  French,  who  were  then  at  war  with  England. 

In  1745,  the  savages  in  alliance  with  France  made  fre- 
quent invasions  ri  the  English  territories.  The  inhabitants 
were  compelled  to  desert  Hosick  ;  Saratoga  was  destroy- 
ed ;  the  western  settlements  in  New-England  were  often 
attacked  and  plundered.  Encouraged  by  success,  the  ene- 
my became  more  daring,  and  small  parties  ventured  within 
the  suburbs  of  Albany,  and  there  laid  in  wait  for  prisoners. 
It  is  even  said  that  one  Indian,  called  Tomonwilemon,  of- 
ten entered  the  city  and  succeeded  in  taking  captives. 

Di&iressed  by  these  incursions,  the  assembly,  in  1746, 
determined  to  unite  with  the  other  colonies  and  the  mother 
country  in  an  expedition  against  Canada.  They  appro- 
priated money  to  purchase  provisions  for  the  army,  and 
offered  liberal  bounties  to  recruits.  But  the  fleet  from 
England  did  not  arrive  at  the  appointed  time ;  the  other 
colonies  were  dilatory  in  their  preparations,  and  before 
they  were  completed,  the  season  for  military  operations 
had  passed  away. 

Early  in  the  next  year,  a  treaty  was  concluded,  and  the 
inhabitants  ^ve^e,  for  a  short  period,  relieved  from  the 
burdens  and  distresses  of  war.  During  the  interval  of 
peace,  no  event  of  importance  happened  in  the  colony. 
Upon  the  recurrence,  a  few  years  afterwards,  of  hostilities* 

8 


86 


SKW-YORI, 


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its  tierritory  y(m  the  theatre  of  sanguinary  conflicts.  But 
of  that  war,  in  which  all  the  colonies  acted  in  concert, ;. 
connected  history  will  be  hereafter  gi? en. 


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CHAPTER  VII. 


NEW-JERSEY. 


The  first  settlement  within  the  limits  of  New-Jersey 
ivas  made  by  the  Danes,  about  the  yo^v  1624,  at  a  place 
called  Bergen,  from  a  city  of  that  n  j\  Norway.  Soon 
afterwards,  several  Dutch  families  ^  M'  emselves  in  the 
vicinity  of  New- York.     In  1626,  a  ui^  was  formed  in 

Sweden,  under  the  patronage  of  kioL  ub  avus  Adolphus, 
for  the  purpose  of  planting  a  colony  in  America.  The  next 
year,  a  number  of  Swedes  and  Finns  came  over,  purchas- 
ed of  the  natives  the  land  on  both  sides  of  the  river  Dela- 
ware, but  made  their  first  settlement  on  its  western  bank, 
near  Christina  creek. 

About  the  year  1640,  the  English  began  a  plantation  at 
Elsingburgh,  on  its  eastern  bank.  The  Swedes,  in  con- 
cert with  the  Dutch  who  then  possessed  New- York,  drove 
them  out  of  the  country.  The  former  built  a  fort  on  the 
spot  whence  the  English  had  been  driven ;  and,  gaining 
thus  the  command  of  the  river,  claimed  and  exercised 
authority  over  all  vessels  that  entered  it,  even  those  of 
the  Dutch,  their  late  associates. 

They  continued  in  possession  of  the  country,  on  both 
sides  of  the  Delaware,  until  1656,  when  Peter  Stuyvesant, 
governor  of  the  New-Netherlands,  having  obtained  assis- 
tance from  Holland,  conquered  all  their  posts  and  transport- 
ed most  of  the  Swedes  to  Europe.  The  Dutch  were  now 
in  possession  of  the  territory  comprising,  at  this  time,  the 
states  of  New-Jersey,  New-York,  and  Delaware. 

Soon,  however,  this  territory  changed  masters.  King 
Charles  the  second,  having  granted  it  to  the  duke  of  York, 
«ent  an  armament,  in  1664,  to  wrest  it  from  the  Dutch. 
After  reducing  New-York,  the  squadron  proceeded  to  the 
i^ettlements  on  th^  Delaware,  which  immediately  submit- 
ietl.  In  the  same  year,  the  duke  conveyed  that  portion  of 
his  grant,  lying  between  Hudson  and  Delaware  rivers,  to 


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WEW-JEBSET. 


lord  Berkeley  and  sir  George  Carteret.  This  i,Tncl  wa» 
called  New-Jersey,  in  compliment  to  sir  George,  who  bad 
been  governor  of  the  island  of  Jersey,  and  bad  held  it  for 
king  Charles  in  his  contest  with  the  parliament.         i^ 

The  two  proprietors  formed  a  constitution  for  the  colo- 
ny, securing  equal  privileges  and  liberty  of  conscience  to 
all,  and  appointed  Philip  Carteret  governor.  He  came 
over  in  1665,  fixed  the  seat  of  government  at  Elizabeth- 
town,  purchased  land  of  the  Indians,  and  sent  agents  into 
New-Epgland  to  invite  lettlcrs  from  that  quarter.  The 
terms  oilered  were  so  favorable  that  many  accepted  the 
invitation. 

A  (ew  years  afterwards,  the  repose  of  the  colony  began 
to  be  disturbed  by  domestic  disputes.  Some  of  the  inha- 
bitants, having  purchased  their  lands  of  the  Indians  previ- 
ous to  the  conveyance  from  the  duke,  refused  to  pay  rent 
to  the  proprietors.  Others  were  discontented  from  differ- 
ent causes.  In  1672,  an  insurrection  took  place,  the  peo- 
pie  assumed  the  government,  and  chose  James  Carteret, 
the  son  of  Philip,  their  governor.  The  father  returned 
^  to  England,  and  obtained  from  the  proprietors  such  favora- 
ble concefsioofi  and  promises  as  quieted  the  people,  and 
induced  them  again  to  submit  to  his  authority. 

Lord  Berkeley  disposed  of  his  property,  rights,  and  pri- 
vileges in  the  territory,  to  Edward  Billinge ;  and  he,  being 
involved  in  debt,  consented  that  they  should  be  sold  for 
the  benefit  of  his  creditors.  William  Pgnn,  Gawen  Low- 
rie,  and  Nicholas  Lucas,  were  appointed  trustees  for  that 
purpose.  In  IGTe*,  the  trustees  and  sir  George  Carteret 
made  partition  of  the  territory,  they  taking  the  western 
and  he  the  eastern  portion. 

West  Jersey  was  then  divided  into  one  hundred  shares, 
which  were  separately  sold.  Some  of  the  purchasers  emi- 
grated to  the  country,  and  all  made  great  exertions  to  pro 
mote  its  population.  Possessing  the  powers  of  govern- 
ment, as  well  as  the  right  of  soil,  they  formed  a  constitu- 
tion, in  which,  for  the  encouragement  of  emigrants,  they 
secured  to  them  ample  privileges. 

But  previous  to  the  transfer  from  Berkeley  to  Billinge, 
the  Dutch,  being  at  war  with  England,  reconquered  the 
country,  and  retained  it,  until  1674,  when  it  was  restored 
by  treaty.    A  new  patent  was  then  granted  to  the  duke^ 


NEW-JERSEV. 


89 


including  the  same  territory  as  the  former.  In  1678,  sir 
Edmund  Andross,  who  had  been  appointed  his  sole  gover- 
nor in  America,  claimed  jurisdiction  over  the  Jerseys,  in* 
sisting  that  the  conquest  by  the  Dutch  divested  the  pro- 
prietors of  all  their  rights. 

He  forcibly  seized,  transported  to  New- York,  and  there 
imprisoned  those  magistrates  who  refused  to  acknowledge 
his  authority.  He  imposed  a  duty  upon  all  goods  import- 
ed, and  upon  the  property  of  all  who  came  to  settle  in  the 
country.  Of  this  injustice  the  inhabitants  loudly  complain- 
ed to  theliake  ;  and  at  length  their  repeated  remonstran- 
ces constrained  him  to  refer  the  matter  to  commissioners. 

Before  them  the  proprietors  appeared.  In  strong  lan- 
guage they  asserted,  and  by  strong  arguments  supported, 
their  claim  to  the  privileges  of  freemen.  They  repre- 
f^ented,  that  the  king  had  granted  to  the  duke  the  right  of 
government  as  well  as  the  right  of  soil  ;  that  the  duke  had 
transferred  the  same  rights  to  Berkeley  and  Carteret,  and 
they  to  the  present  proprietors. 

*'  That  only,"  they  added,  "  could  have  induced  us  to 
purchase  lands  and  emigrate.  And  the  reason  is  plain  :  to 
all  prudent  men,  the  government  of  any  place  is  more  in- 
viting than  the  soil ;  for  what  is  good  land  without  good 
laws?  What  but  an  assurance  that  we  should  enjoy  civil 
and  religiou''  privileges,  could  have  tempted  us  to  leave 
a  cultivated  country  and  resort  to  a  gloomy  wilderness  ? 
What  have  we  gained,  if,  afler  adventuring  in  this  wilder- 
ness many  thousands  of  pounds,  we  are  yet  to  be  taxed  at 
the  mere  will  and  pleasure  of  another  ?  What  is  it^  but  to 
say,  that  people,  free  by  law  under  their  prince  at  home^ 
are  at  his  ruercy  in  his  plantations  abroad  ? 

'<  We  humbly  say,  that  we  have  lost  none  of  our  liberty 
by  leaving  our  country  ;  that  the  duty  imposed  upon  us  is 
without  precedent  or  parallel ;  that,  had  we  foreseen  it, 
we  should  have  preferred  any  other  plantation  in  America. 
Besides,  there  is  no  limit  to  this  power ;  since  we  are,  by 
this  precedent,  taxed  without  any  law,  and  thereby  ex- 
cludod  from  our  English  right  of  assenting  to  taxes,  what 
security  have  we  of  any  thing  we  possess?  We  can  caU 
nothing  our  own,  but  are  tenants  at  will,  not  only  for  the 
soil,  but  for  our  personal  estates.  Such  conduct  has  de- 
stroyed governments,  but  never  raised  one  to  any  trve 


greatifess." 


«* 


90 


NEW-JERSeV. 


Th«  commissioners  adjudged  the  duties  illegal  and  op- 
pressive, and  they  were  not  afterwards  demanded.  Emi' 
grants  continued  to  arrive  and  the  country  to  prosper.  In 
1681,  the  governor  of  West  Jersey  summoned  a  general 
assembly,  b)r  which  several  fundamental  laws  were  enact- 
ed, establishing  the  rights  of  the  people,  and  defining  the 
powers  of  rulsrs. 

In  1682,  the  territory  of  East  Jersey  passed  from  Car- 
teret to  William  Penn,  and  twenty-three  associates,  mostly 
of  the  quaker  persuasion.  They  appointed  Robert  Bar- 
clay, author  of  the  *'  Apology  for  the  Qjuakers,*  governor 
over  it  for  life.  The  multitude  of  proprietors,  and  the 
frequent  transfers  and  subdivisions  of  shares,  introduced 
such  confusion  in  titles  to  land,  and  such  uncertainty  as  to 
the  rights  of  government,  that,  for  twenty  years  afterwards, 
both  Jerseys  were  in  a  state  of  continued  disturbance  and 
diiordSer.  In  1702,  the  proprietors,  weary  of  contending 
with  each  other,  and  with  the  people,  surrendered  the 
right  of  government  to  the  crown.  Queen  Anne  reunited 
the  two  divisions,  and  appointed  lord  Cornbory  governor 
over  the  provinces  of  New-Jersey  and  New-York. 

These  provinces  continued,  for  several  years,  to  be  ruled 
by  the  same  governor,  but  each  chose  a  separate  assembly. 
In  1738,  the  inhabitants,  by  petition  to  the  kiog,  desired 
that  they  might,  in  future,  have  a  separate  governor. 
Their  request  was  granted,  Lewis  Morris  being  the  first 
that  was  appointed. 

In  the  same  year,  a  college  was  founded  at  Princeton 
HAd  called  Nassau  Hall.  New-Jersey  then  contained  above 
forty  thousand  inhabitants.  Being  remote  from  Canada, 
the  source  of  most  of  the  Indian  wars  which  a£Sicted  the 
northern  colonies,  it  enjoyed  a  complete  exemption  from 
that  terrible  calamity,  and  until  the  commencement  of  the 
revolution,  furnished  no  materials  for  history. 


1m 


■•* 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


DELAWARE. 


This  colony  was  first  settled  by  a  company  of  Swedes 
and  Finns,  under  the  patronage  of  king  Gustavus  Adolphus. 
They  came  over  in  1627,  and  landing  at  cape  Henlopen, 
were  so  charmed  with  its  appearance,  that  they  gave  it  the 
name  of  Paradise  Point.  The  country  they  called  New 
Sweden,  and  the  river  Delaware,  New  Swedeland  Stream. 
They  purchased  of  the  Indians  the  lands  on  both  sides  of 
that  river,  from  the  sea  to  the  falls,  and  seated  themselves 
at  the  mouth  of  Christina  creek,  near  Wilmington. 

Being  frequently  molested  by  the  Dutch,  who  claimed 
a  right  to  the  country,  they,  for  their  protection,  built 
forts  at  Christina,  Lewistown,  and  Tinicum.  The  last  was 
their  seat  of  government,  and  there  John  Printz,  their 
governor,  erected  an  elegant  mansion  which  he  named 
Printz  Hall. 

In  1651,  the  Dutch  built  a  fort  at  New-Castle.  Printz, 
considering  this  place  to  be  within  the  Swedish  territories, 
formally  protested  against  the  proceeding.  Risingh,  his 
successor,  made  a  visit,  under  the  guise  of  friendship,  to 
the  commander  of  the  fort,  and,  being  accompanied  by  thirty 
men,  treacherously  took  possession  of  it,  while  enjoying  bis 
hospitality. 

Peter  Stuy  vesant,  the  Dutch  governor  of  New-Vork,  was 
not  of  a  temper  to  permit  an  injury  thus  committed,  to  pass 
unavenged.  Accompanied  by  an  armament,  a  part  of  which 
was  furnished  for  the  occasion  by  the  city  of  Amsterdam, 
in  Holland,  he,  in  1655,  returned  the  visit  of  the  Swedes. 
He  first  reduced  the  fort  at  New-Castle ;  then  that  at  Chris- 
tina creek,  inhere  Risingh  commanded;  and  afterwards 
the  others.  Some  of  the  Swedes,  on  taking  the  oath  of  al- 
legiance to  Holland,  were  permitted  to  remain ;  the  Test 
were  sent  to  Europe. 


98 


DELAWARE. 


The  flettlements  on  the  Delaware  continued  under  the 
control  of  the  Dutch,  until  1664,  when  the  New-Nether- 
lands were  conquered  by  the  fngliih.  They  were  then 
considered  as  a  part  of  New-York.  In  1 682,  William  Penn 
purchased  of  the  duke  of  York,  the  town  of  New-Castle, 
and  the  country  twelve  miles  around  it ;  and,  by  a  subse- 
quent purchase,  obtained  the  land  lying  upon  the  Delaware, 
and  between  New-Castle  and  cape  Henlopen.  These  tracts, 
which  constitute  the  present  state  of  Delaware,  were  called 
the  "  Territories,"  and  were,  for  twenty  years,  governed  as 
a  part  of  Pennsylvania. 

They  were  divided  into  three  counties,  New-Castle, 
Kent,  and  Sussex,  each  of  which  sent  six  delegates  to  the  gen- 
eral assembly.  In  1 703,  these  delegates,  dissatisfied  with  the 
last  charter  which  Penn  had  prepared,  and  a  majority  of  the 
assembly  had  adopted,  seceded,  and,  liberty  being  given, 
formed  a  separate  and  distinct  assembly.  The  two  portions 
of  the  province  were  never  afterwards  united,  but  the  pro- 
prietor continued  to  possess  the  same  jurisdiction,  and  the 
same  person  uniformly  acted  as  governor  over  both. 

Sheltered  by  the  surrounding  province's,  Delaware  en- 
joyed an  entire  exemption  from  wars,  except  those  in  which, 
as  a  part  of  the  British  empire,  she  was  obliged  to  partici- 
pate. In  the  war  with  France,  which  terminated  in  1763, 
she  was  second  to  none  in  active  zeal  to  assist  the  parent 
istatc.  In  the  revolutionary  war,  the  Delaware  regiment 
was  considered  the  roost  efficient  in  the  continental  army. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


PENNSYLVANIA. 


William  Penn,  the  founder  of  Pennsylvania,  was  the 
son  of  Sir  William  Penn,  an  admiral  in  the  British  navy. 
In  his  youth,  he  joined  the  quakers,  then  an  obscure  and 
persecuted  sect.  While  superintending  the  settlement  of 
New-Jersey,  he  became  acquainted  with  an  extensive 
tract  of  fertile,  unoccupied  land  lying  between  the  terri- 
tories  of  the  Duke  of  York  and  Lord  Baltimore.  At  his 
solicitation,  and  in  recompense  for  unrequited  services 
which  bis  father  had  rendered  the  nation,  this  tract  was, 
in  168],  granted  to  him  in  full  property,  and  by  th^  king 
called  Pennsylvania. 

Desirous  of  selliog  his  lands  and  founding  a  colony,  he. 
in  a  public  advertisement,  described  the  country,  and  set 
forth  the  advantages  which  it  offered  to  emigrants.  Many 
persons,  chiefly  quakers,  were  induced  to  purchase.  The 
fee  simple  of  the  soil  was  sold  at  the  rate  of  twenty  pounds 
for  every  thousand  acres;  and  they  who  rented  lands, 
agreed  to  pay  one  penny  yearly  per  acre.  Before  the 
emigrants  embarked,  certain  **  conditions  and  concessions" 
were  by  them  and  the  proprietor  agreed  upon  and  sub- 
Bcribcid. 

In  the  fall,  three  ships,  carrying  settlers,  sailed  for  Penn- 
sylvania. The  pious  and  philanthropic  oroprietor  sent 
a  letter  to  the  Indians,  informing  them  that  **the  great 
God  bad  been  pleased  to  make  him  concerned  in  their 
part  of  the  world,  and  that  the  king  of  the  country  where 
he  lived,  had  given  him  a  great  province  therein ;  but 
that  he  did  not  desire  to  enjoy  it  without  their  consent ; 
that  he  was  a  man  of  peace ;  and  that  the  people  whom 
he  sent  were  of  the  same  disposition ;  and  if  any  dif- 
ference should  happen  between  them,  it  might  be  adjusted 
by  an  equal  number  of  men  chosen  on  both  sides,"    Th^ 


04 


PENNSYLVANIA. 


position  selected  by  these  emigrants  for  a  settlement  was 
above  the  confluence  of  the  Delaware  and  the  Schuyl- 
kill. 

In  April,  1 682,  Penn  published  a  Frame  of  Government^ 
the  chief  object  of  which  was  declared  to  be  **  to  support 
power  in  reverence  with  the  people,  and  to  lecure  the 
people  from  the  abuse  of  power."  He  published  also 
a  Body  of  Law$,  which  had  been  examined  and  approved 
by  the  emigrants  in  England  ;  and  which,  says  an  eminent 
historian,  **  does  great  honor  to  their  wisdom  as  statesmen, 
to  their  morals  as  men,  and  to  their  spirit  as  colonists.*' 
From  the  Duke  of  York,  he  obtained  the  relinquishment 
of  a  tract  of  land,  lying  on  the  south  side  of  the  Delaware, 
a  part  of  which  was  already  settled,  and  in  August,  accom- 
panied by  about  two  thousand  emigrants,  set  sail  for  Ame- 
rica. 

He  landed  first  at  New-Castle,  which  was  a  part  of  the 
^*  Territories,"  as  the  land  conveyed  to  him  by  the  Duke 
was  called.  Upon  this  tract  he  round  about  three  thou- 
sand Dutch,  Swedes,  and  Finns.  He  proceeded  to  Ches- 
ter, wher*  he  called  an  assembly  on  the  fourth  of  Decem- 
ber. This  assembly  annexed  the  Territories  to  the  pro- 
vince, adopted  the  Frame  of  Government,  Hud  enacted  in 
form  the  Body  of  Laws.  Penn  also  made  a  treaty  with  the 
fndians,  from  whom  he  purchased  as  much  land  as  the 
circumstances  of  the  colony  required.  He  selected  the 
site,  and  marked  out  the  plan,  of  an  extensive  city,  to  which 
he  gave  the  name  of  Philadelphia,  or  the  city  of  love.  Be- 
fore the  end  of  the  year,  it  contained  eighty  houses  and 
cottages. 

The  settlement  of  none  of  the  colonies  commenced 
under  such  favorable  auspices  as  that  of  Pennsylvania. 
The  experience  of  half  a  century  had  disclosed  the  evili 
to  be  avoided,  and  pointed  out  the  course  to  be  pursued.. 
The  Indians,  having  been  already  taught  to  fear  the  power 
of  the  whites,  were  the  more  easily  conciliated  by  their 
kindness.  The  soil  being  fertile,  the  climate  temperate, 
and  the  game  abundant,  the  first  emigrants  escaped  most 
of  the  calamities  which  afflicted  the  more  northern  and 
southern  provinces.  The  increase  of  population  excoededt 
of  course,  all  former  example. 


PBNKSYLVANIA. 


95 


In  the  new  city,  a  second  aisembly  was  held  in  March, 
1683.  At  the  request  of  the  freemen  and  delegates,  Penn 
granted  them  a  second  charter,  which  f^iroinished  the  num- 
ber of  the  council  and  assembly,  and  as,  in  other  re< 
spects,  different  from  the  first.  Some  or'  the  regulations^ 
at  that  time  adopted,  bear  the  impress  of  the  proprietor's 
singular  genius,  and  benevolent  disposition. 

It  was  ordained  '^that,  to  prevent  lawsuits,  three  arbi- 
trators, to  be  called  peace  maksrs,  should  be  chosen  by 
the  county  courts,  to  hear  and  determine  small  differences 
between  man  and  roan  :  That  children  should  be  taught 
some  useful  trade,  to  the  end  that  none  might  he  idle,  that 
the  poor  might  work  to  live,  and  the  rich  if  they  should 
become  poor:  That  factors,  wronging  their  employers, 
should  make  satisfaction  and  one  third  over  :  That  every 
thing,  which  excites  the  people  to  rudeness,  cruelty,  and 
irreligion,  should  be  discouraged  and  severely  punished : 
That  no  one,  acknowledging  one  God  and  living  peace- 
ably in  society,  should  be  molested  for  his  opinions  or  bis 
practice,  or  compelled  to  frequent  or  maintain  any  minis- 
try whatever." 

These  judicious  regulations  attracted  numerous  emi- 
grants ;  and  to  their  salutary  influence  must  be  attributed 
the  qualities  of  diligence,  order,  and  economy  for  which 
the  Pennsylvanians  are  so  justly  celebrated.  Within  four 
years  from  the  date  of  the  grant  to  Penn,  the  province 
contained  twenty  settlements,  and  Philadelphia  two  thou- 
sand inhabitants. 

In  16B4,  the  proprietor'  returned  to  England.  He  letl 
his  province  in  profound  tranquillity,  under  the  adminis- 
tration of  five  commissioners  chosen  from  the  council. 
The  unfortunate  James  the  Second  soon  after  ascended 
the  throne.  "  As  he  has,"  said  Penn,  **  been  my  friend, 
and  my  father's  friend,  I  feel  bound  in  justice  to  be  a 
friend  to  him."  He  adhered  to  him  while  seated  on  the 
throne,  and  for  two  years  after  he  was  expelled  from  his 
kingdom,  the  government  of  the  province  was  administered 
in  his  name. 

By  this  display  of  attachment  to  the  exiled  monarch,  he 
incurred  the  displeasure  of  king  William.     On  vague  sus-, 
picion,  find  unfounded  charges,  he  was  four  times  impi*!- 
soned.     The  government  of  his  colony  was  taken  frdai 


,'4 


?*, 


j0  ffiMli#tVjutUi 

bill.  iMljifeh  t«4i|^fl«§li«'»  11b«  gp^mtilt'ot  K«w 

«ar«iit,  thirt  Hi  Hil.  &  fJP  «^att«t.,b(i4iii  idtitted  Us 
mucli  bjr  tirt  lafl#llkriiilt»f  *ib 
lit  t^ncd  tlift  |e>^  ^Y-       ^ 
pemiittAd  to  niianM  Ml  •ilMfiii 
WaUun  Markhim  to  k9  Hil,#6<| 

lb  1699,  bd  ■iHb  vfailltdmi 
paopli'aiMsontoiiMd.    Tb«riB(>li 

tiild  dfmand^  ■  Of w  oliiurto^.    I 
f  pfUted  out  to  tbe  iNiiibl: 
gft^^tbe  wiMirfbly  tbe 


"j»^ 


biiie  frtitiotti  c^i, 
HlWibfe  tbim.    t?tb| 

Wt 

were  ainwed  a  dUttnct 
bo#e?*if.  priililed  Oflr  bok 
ImmediatiHraifrbtolbri 


„    i'^d,beln| 
i^tt,  ijjklpoittted 

ilwiill,  ibd  found  tbe 
»d  Utat  bii  pjBtytm 

«aiA6i«iit  |i#«t:i«iott. 

i^Oi^bi  prepared  and 

liraii^ptttd.    It 

I,  itftach, 

.  J»  oftWi  got*hior 

leetiiiimiii  #i^Hb  iuiiibt  be 

ittSWiiiejrftliUt^ric^t  of 

^  tt^^ntiog  hi« 

„^  „j^ ^ Je^ltfle  ^#er. 

■tite  dfDeliiviiii,  riro*lto$  to 
'fttoHiPiiibiyl^ible.iind 


retamed  to  Biiioird,  lind  tb^  ¥keiagfi  iufbtfrtty  was 

bf  tbi  praKoil  Tbii  be¥«  inl^s^aiitl^  H^^tteured 
iSdfdittipK  Hi  tb^  <£ibW^  and  ^*^"^f^¥ 
^otparitv  of  ni*  eoUMj  MHI^toji,  fbbt  vHi  iiight 
Si^t  of  complilint  iBiMtodf^^^  the 

iruM  and  90tt  tonite  ImiiW  Wai  tbis  rifM,  by 
Si^plity  i^«|^iior9,  tolM«t  to  any  la*  'mpoiing  taxes 
1%/liidi  i^rliB  pr6t^i^i#Kiltbg|iyb«  ftum  raised 

1^  t6  belMpdodcd  for  ^  ^^^^^^HP®  ^^^'^  P'^' 
^ittot;  tbli  bn^te.  and  indeed  tloiaellpii  of  exemption) 
ibeiidq»6d[lvi#r  disguil tban  ii|iif7,liQd  <$tnbittered  all 
ihtf  emraai  #a<feMiiibt8. 
^^ffteie  di&btldilHiiit> 

^tobd^l^9 
r;ihitir<^^Wiia  |be  itmn 

etitfto^between  ' 


HI: 


-4 


# 


In  tbe  least,  ri^d  the 
kl^l^i'^Pjtetbav- 

m  iaiH«iMB|tbose 
feab,UbiJMiU|>te(l 
the  i(«»itiSi».    W  the 


PENNSYLVANIA. 


•I 


early  piirt  of  the  revolutionary  war,  the  people  adopted  a 
new  conttit'ition,  bv  which  the  proprietor  wai  excluded 
from  all  share  in  the  government.  He  was  offered,  and 
finally  accepted,  the  sum  of  570,000  dollars,  in  discharge  of 
all  quit*rents  due  from  the  inhabitants. 


;*:• . 


%i. 


.1  *■"  '' ' 


-fc^,< 


'«t4 


t 


w* 


CHAPTER  X. 


MARYLAND. 


DuRiN'o  the  reign  of  James  the  first,  the  laws  against 
Homan  Catholics  were  severe  and  the  popular  hatred  wai 
inreterate.  Lord  Baltimore,  a  distinguished  member  of 
that  sect,  resolved,  in  consequence,  to  remove  from  Ens- 
land  to  Virginia,  beheving  that  he  might  there  enjoy  his 
religious  opinions,  without  violating  the  laws  or  incurring 
reproach.  But  the  people  among  whom  he  came  to  re- 
side, were  almost  as  intolerant  as  those  he  had  leA,  and  he 
soon  found  it  necessary  to  seek  some  other  asylum. 

Having  ascertained  that  the  territory  on  both  sides  of 
Chesapeake  bay,  was  inhabited  only  by  the  natives,  he 
conceived  the  project  of  planting  there  a  colony  for  him- 
self, and  for  all  who  might  wish  to  retire  from  relinoui 
persecution.  He  explored  the  country,  returned  to  Eng- 
land, obtained  the  assent  of  king  Charles  the  first  to  a 
grant  of  territory,  but  died  before  the  requisite  formalities 
were  completed. 

Cecil,  his  eldest  son,  and  heir  to  his  estate  and  title,  ob- 
tained for  himself  the  grant  intended  for  his  father.  To 
the  new  colony  the  name  of  Maryland  was  given,  in  honor 
of  Flenrietta  Maria,  the  royal  consort  of  Charles.  The 
land  conveyed  being  within  the  boundaries  of  Virginia,  the 
planters  in  that  province  remonstrated  against  the  grant. 
The  king  refusing  to  rescind  it.  Lord  Baltimore  made  pre- 
parations to  commence  a  settlement.  He  appointed  his 
brother,  Leonard  Calvert,  governor  ;  who,  near  the  close 
of  the  year  1633,  sailed  for  America,  accompanied  by 
about  two  hundred  emigrants,  mostly  Roman  Catholics. 

They  arrived  in  Februanr,  1634,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river  Potomac.  At  a  conference  with  the  Indians  who 
dwelt  on  the  shore,  they  purchased  Yoamaco,  a  consider, 
able  village,  the  site  of  which  St.  Mary's  now  occupies. 


100 


HARTLAN0. 


k-'v=-^  ' 


'¥y' 


By  thi»  measure,  wise  as  well  as  just,  the  rightful  pro- 
prietors of  the  soil  were  satisfied,  convenient  habitations 
and  some  cultivated  land  were  obtained,  and  the  first  set- 
tiers  were  of  course  exempted  from  the  miseries  of  famine, 
and  from  the  diseases  which  it  produces. 

Other  circumstances  favored  the  rapid  population  of 
the  colony.  The  charter  granted  more  ample  privileget^ 
than  had  ever  been  conceded  to  a  subject ;  the  country 
was  inviting ;  the  natives  were  friendly ;  from  the  south 
churchmen  drove  puritans,  from  the  north  puritans  drove 
churchmen,  into  her  borders,  where  all  were  freely  re- 
ceived, protected,  and  cherished. 

The  charter  granted  to  the  inhabitants  the  privilege  of 
passing  laws  either  by  themselves  or  representatives, 
without  reserving  to  the  crown,  as  had  been  done  in  all 
previous  charters,  the  right  to  reject  the  laws  so  pa«ised. 
At  first,  when  the  freemen  were  few  in  numlter,  each  at- 
tended in  person,  or  authorized  some  other  freeman,  who 
chose  to  attend,  to  vote  and  act  in  his  stead.  The  in- 
crease of  population  soon  rendered  it  necessary  to  adopt 
a  different  mode  of  legislation.  In  1630,  an  act  was  passed, 
constituting  a  *'  house  of  assembly,"  to  be  composed  of 
such  as  should  be  chosen  by  the  people,  of  such  as  should 
be  sumaioned  or  appointed  by  the  proprietor,  and  of  the 
governor  and  secretary.  These  were  to  sit  together,  and 
the  laws  which  they  should  enact  were  to  possess  the  same 
validity,  as  though  the  proprietors  and  all  the  people  had 
concurred  in  enacting  them. 

In  1650,  a  second  alteration  was  made.  The  legislative 
body  was  divided  into  two  branches,  the  delegates  choseit 
by  the  people  constituting  the  lower  house,  and  the  per- 
sons summoned  by  the  proprietors,  the  upper  house.  It 
ought  to  be  stated,  for  the  honor  of  Lord  Baltimore  and  liis 
associates,  that,  while  the  catholics  retained  the  ascenden- 
cy in  the  province,  the  assembly  passed  no  law  abridging 
the  liberty  of  conscience. 

But  this  colony,  as  well  as  all  the  others, in  the  early 
period  of  their  existence,  was  afflicted  with  intestine 
troubles.  They  were  principally  caused  by  one. Wil- 
liam Clayborne.  While  a  member  of  the  Virginia  council 
he  had  obtained  a  license  from  the  king,  to  traffic  in  those 
parts  of  America  where  no  other  person  enjoyed  the  ex^ 


MARYLAND. 


fdl 


elusive  right  of  trade.  Under  this  license,  he  bad  made  a 
small  settlement  on  the  island  of  Kent,  and,  when  the  grant 
was  made  to  Lord  Baltimore,  refused  to  submit  to  his 
authority.  He  persuaded  the  natives  that  the  **  net? 
comers"  were  Spaniards,  and  enemies  to  the  Virginians. 
An  Indian  war  was  the  consequence,  which  continued 
several  years,  and  was  productive  of  considerable  dis- 
tress. 

Ciayborne  was  indicted  and  convicted  of  murder,  piracy, 
and  sedition  ;  and  fleeing  from  justice,  his  estate  was  con- 
fiscated. He  applied  to  the  king  for  redress,  but  after  a 
full  hearing,  was  dismissed  without  obtaining  any  order  in 
his  favor.  When  the  civil  war,  between  the  king  and  par- 
liament, be^an,  he  embraced  the  cause  of  the  latter,  re- 
turned to  Maryland,  and,  by  his  intrigues  fomented,  in 
1645,  a  rebellion  against  its  rulers,  who  were  attached  to 
the  royal  cause.  Calvert,  the  governor,  was  compelled 
to  fly  to  Virginia,  and  the  insurgents  seized  the  reins  of 
government.  The  next  year,  however,  the  revolt  was 
^suppressed  and  tranquility  restored. 

But  after  the  parliament  had  triumphed  over  the  king, 
they  appointed  commissioners  for  "  reducing  and  govern- 
ing the  colonies  within  the  bay  of  Chesapeake.*'  Among 
these  was  Ciayborne,  the  evil  genius  of  Maryland.  The 
proprietor,  consenting  to  acknowledge  the  authority  of 
parliament,  was  permitted  to  retain  his  station,  but  was 
unable  to  preserve  tranquility.  The  distractions  of  Eng- 
land, finding  their  way  into  the  colony,  occasioned  a  civil 
war,  which  ended  in  the  discomfiture  of  the  governor  and 
Roman  Catholics. 

The  next  assembly,  which  was  entirely  under  the  in- 
fluence of  the  victorious  party,  ordained  that  persons  pro- 
fessing the  Catholic  religion  should  not  be  considered  with- 
in the  protection  of  the  laws.  Thus  were  they  ungrate- 
fully persecuted  by  men  whom  they  had  taken  to  their 
bosom,  and  in  a  colony  which  they  had  founded.  Laws 
unfavorable  to  the  quakers  were  also  enacted,  and  here, 
as  in  England,  the  upper  house  was  voted  to  be  useless. 
At  the  restoration,  in  1660,  Philip  Calvert  was  appointed 
governor,  and  the  ancient  order  of  things  restored.  The 
colony  then  contained  about  twelve  thousand  inhabitants. 


Whm 


9 


'W^ 


102 


MAKYLANf). 


^^'V 


In  1676,  died  Cecil,  Lo:  Baltimore,  the  father  of  Ifre 
province.  For  more  than  .  yv\y  years,  he  had  directed  its? 
affairs  as  proprietor,  and  displayed,  in  all  his  conduct,  a 
benevolent  heart  and  enlightened  understanding.  Al- 
though he  lived  in  an  age  of  bigotry,  he  was  liberal  in  his 
opinions ;  and  for  all  his  exertions  to  contribute  to  the 
happiness  of  his  fellow  beings,  he  desired  no  reward  but 
their  gratitude.  This  reward  he  received.  The  records 
of  the  Maryland  assembly  contain  frequent  memoriale  of 
the  respect  and  affection  of  the  people.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded, as  proprietor,  by  his  eldest  son,  Charles,  who  had, 
for  several  years,  been  governor  of  the  colony,  and  dis- 
played the  same  amiable  qualities  which  had  rendered  his 
father  respected  and  beloved. 

In  the  year  1689,  the  epoch  of  the  revolution  in  Eng- 
land, the  repose  of  Maryland  was  again  disturbed.  A  ru- 
mor was  artfully  circulated,  that  the  Catholics  had  leagued 
with  the  Indians  to  destroy  all  the  Protestants  in  the  pro- 
vince. An  armed  association  was  immediately  formed, 
for  the  defence  of  the  Protestant  religion,  and  for  assert- 
ing the  rights  of  king  William  and  queen  Mary.  The  ma- 
gistrates attempted  to  oppose  by  force  this  association  ; 
but,  meeting  with  few  supporters,  were  compelled  to  ab- 
dicate the  government. 

King  William  directed  those  who  had  assumed  the  su- 
preme authority  to  exercise  it  in  his  name  ;  and  for  twenty- 
seven  years  the  crown  retained  the  entire  control  of  the 
province.  In  1716,  the  proprietor  was  restored  to  his 
rights  ;  and  he  and  his  descendants  continued  to  enjoy 
them  until  the  commencement  of  the  revolution.  The 
people  then  assnmed  the  government,  adopted  a  constitu- 
tion, and  refused  to  admit  the  claims  of  Lord  Baltimore  to 
Jurisdiction  or  property. 


ir  of  tire 
•ected  its 
onduct,  a 
ng.     Al- 
'al  in  his 
:e  to  the 
iward  but 
e  records 
aorials?  of 
was  suc- 
who  had, 
,  and  dis- 
idered  his 

)n  in  Eng- 
id.  A  ru- 
id  leagued 
1  the  pro- 
y  formed, 
for  assert- 

The  ma- 
sociation  ; 

ed  to  ail- 
ed the  su- 
br  twenty- 
irol  of  the 
red  to  his 
to  enjoy 
ion.  The 
a  constitu- 
dtitnore  to 


'^  CHAPTER  XI. 

NORTH  CAROLINA. 


In  1G30,  Charles  the  first  granted  to  Sir  Robert  Heath 
all  the  territory  between  the  30th  and  36th  degrees  of 
north  latitude,  and  extending  from  the  Atlantic  ocean  to 
the  South  sea,  by  the  name  of  Carolina.  Under  this 
grant,  no  settlement  was  made.  Between  1640  and  1650, 
^1  persons  suffering  from  religious  intolerance  in  Virginia, 
tied  beyond  her  limits,  and,  without  license  from  any 
source,  occupied  that  portion  of  North  Carolina,  north  of 
Albemarle  sound.  They  found  the  winters  mild  and  the 
soil  fertile.  As  their  cattle  and  swine  procured  their  own 
support  in  the  woods  and  multiplied  fast,  they  were  ena- 
bled, with  little  labor,  to  live  in  the  enjoyment  of  abun- 
d<tnce.  Their  number  was  annually  augmented;  they 
acknowledijed  no  superior  upon  earth,  and  obeyed  no  laws 
but  those  of  God  and  nature 

In  1661,  another  settlement  was  made,  near  the  mouth 
of  Clarendon  river,  by  adventurers  from  Massachusetts. 
The  land  being  sterile  and  the  Indians  hostile,  they,  in 
1G63,  abandoned  it.  Immediately  afterwards,  their  place 
was  supplied  by  emigrants  from  Barbadoes,  who  invested 
Sir  John  Yeomans  with  the  authority  of  governor. 

Sir  Robert  Heath  having  neglected  to  comply  with  the 
conditions  of  his  patent,  the  king,  in  1663,  granted  the 
!»arae  territory  to  Lord  Clarendon  and  seven  others,  and 
invested  them  with  ample  powers  of  government  over 
those  who  should  inhabit  it.  To  en<  ounige  emigration, 
they  gave  public  assurances,  that  all  who  might  remove  to 
their  territory,  should  enjoy  unrestricted  religious  liberty, 
and  be  governed  by  a  free  assembly.  The  settlers  on 
Albemarle  sound  were,  on  certain  conditions,  allowed  i« 
retain  their  lands.  A  government  over  them  was  orgu^ 
nized,  at  the  head  of  which  a  Mr.  Drummond  was  placed. 
With  th«  reguLtiom  imposed,  they  vrere  dissatiefied)  anA- 


■^ 


104 


NORTH  CAROLINA. 


AJ 


revolted ;  but  their  grievances  tvere  redrcfised,  and,  in 
1668,  they  returned  to  their  duty. 

At  the  request  of  the  proprietors,  the  celebrated  John 
Locke,  whose  political  writings  were  then  much  read  and 
admired,  prepared  for  the  colony  a  constitution  of  govern- 
ment.  It  provided  that  a  chief  officer,  to  be  called  the 
palatine,  and  to  hold  his  office  during  life,  should  be  elect- 
ed from  among  the  proprietors  ;  that  a  hereditary  nobility, 
to  be  called  landgraves  and  caziqucs,  should  be  created  ; 
and  that,  once  in  two  years,  representatives  should  be 
chosen  by  the  freeholders.  All  these,  with  the  proprie- 
tors or  their  deputies,  were  to  meet  in  one  assembly, 
which  was  to  be  called  the  parliament,  and  over  which  the 
palatine  was  to  preside.  The  parliament  could  deliberate 
and  decide  only  upon  propositions,  laid  before  it  by  a  grand 
council  composed  of  the  palatine,  nobility,  and  deputies  of 
the  proprietors. 

This  coujititution,  however  wise  it  might  seem  to  Eng- 
lish politicians,  was  not  adapted  to  the  sentiments  and  ha- 
bits of  the  people  for  whom  it  was  prepared.  Its  aristo- 
cratic features  displeased  them.  The  measures  adopted 
to  introduce  and  enforce  it,  produced,  in  connection  with 
other  causes,  an  insurrection,  in  the  progress  of  which 
the  palatine,  and  the  deputies  were  seized  and  imprisoned. 
Application  was  made  to  Virginia  for  assistance  in  restor- 
ing order;  but  the  fear  of  punishment  induced  the  insur- 
gents to  submit,  before  an  armed  force  could  be  arrayed 
against  them. 

In  1670,  William  Sayle,  under  the  direction  of  the  pro- 
prietors, made  a  settlement  at  Port  Rnyal,  within  the  limit« 
of  South  Carolina.  The  next  year,  dissatisfied  with  this 
station,  he  removed  his  colony  northward,  to  a  neck  of  land 
between  Ashley  and  Cooper  rivers,  where  he  laid  out  a 
town,  which,  in  honor  of  the  king  then  reigning,  he  called 
Charleston.  Dying  soon  after.  Sir  John  Yeomans,  who 
had,  for  several  years,  been  governor  at  Clarendon,  was 
appointed  to  succeed  him.  This  new  settlement  attracted 
at  first  many  inhabitants  from  that  at  Clarendon,  and  at 
length  entirely  exhausted  it.  Being  remote  from  Albe- 
marle, the  proprietors  established  a  separate  government 
over  it,  and  hence  arose  the  distioctire  appellations  of 
North  and  South  Carolina. 


I 


NORTH  CAROXINA. 


105 


The  prosperity  of  the  northern  colony  was  retarded 
by  domestic  dissentions.  To  allay  them,  Seth  Sothel, 
one  of  the  proprietors,  was  appointed  chief  magistrate. 
His  conduct,  far  from  restoring  quiet  and  contentment,  in- 
creased the  disorders  which  had  before  prevailed.  He  is 
represented  as  the  most  corrupt  and  rapacious  of  colonial 
governors.  He  plundered  the  innocent  and  received 
bribes  from  felons.  For  six  years,  the  inhabitants  en- 
dured his  injustice  and  oppression.  They  then  seized 
him,  with  a  view  of  sending  him  to  England  for  trial.  At 
his  request,  he  was  detained  and  tried  by  the  assembly, 
who  banished  him  from  the  colony. 

His  successor  was  Philip  Ludwell,  of  Virginia,  and  to 
him  succeeded  John  Archdale,  who  was  a  quaker  and  one 
of  the  proprietors.  Both  were  popular  governors  ;  under 
their  administration,  the  colony  prospered  and  the  people 
were  happy.  In  1693,  at  the  request  of  the  Carolinians, 
the  constitution  of  Locke  was  abrogated  by  the  proprietors, 
and  each  colony  was  afterwards  ruled  by  a  governor, 
council,  and  house  of  representatives. 

In  1707,  a  company  of  French  protestants  arrived  and 
seated  themselves  on  the  river  Trent,  a  branch  of  the 
Neuse.  in  1710,  a  large  number  of  Palatines,  fleeing 
from  religious  persecution  in  Germany,  sought  refuge  in 
the  same  part  of  the  province.  To  each  of  these,  the 
proprietors  granted  one  hundred  acres  rf  land.  They 
Jived  happy,  for  a  few  years,  in  the  enjoyment  of  liberty 
of  conscience,  and  in  the  prospect  of  competence  and 
ease. 

But  suddenly  a  terrible  calamity  fell  upon  them.  The 
Tuscarora  and  Coree  Indians,  smarting  under  recent  in- 
juries, and  dreading  total  extinction  from  the  encroach- 
ment of  these  strangers,  plotted,  with  characteristic  se- 
crecy, their  entire  destruction.  Sendin}r  their  fimilies  to 
one  of  their  fortitied  towns,  twelve  hundred  bowmen  sal- 
lied forth,  and,  in  the  same  night,  attacked,  in  separate 
parties,  the  nearest  settlements  of  the  Palatines.  Men, 
women,  and  children  were  indiscriminately  butchered. 
The  savages,  with  the  swiftness  and  ferocity  of  wolves, 
ran  from  village  to  village.  Before  them,  was  the  repose 
of  innocence  ;  behind,  the  sleep  of  death.    A  few,  esca]^. 


•JT  •>ut 


106 


NORTH  CAROLINA. 


:^ 


ing,  alarmed  the  settlements  more  remote,  and  hastened 
to  South  Carolina  for  assistance. 

Governor  Craven  immediately  despatched,  to  the  aid  of 
the  sister  colony,  nearly  a  thousand  men,  under  the  com* 
mand  of  Colonel  Barnwell  After  a  fatiguing  march 
through  a  hideous  wilderness,  they  met  the  enemy,  at- 
tacked, defeated,  and  pursued  them  to  their  fortified  town, 
which  was  immediately  besieged.  In  a  few  days,  peace, 
at  their  solicitation,  was  concluded,  and  Colonel  Barnwell 
returned  to  South  Carolina. 

The  peace  was  short,  and  upon  the  recommencement  of 
hostilities,  asiiistance  was  again  solicited  from  the  southern 
colony.  Colonel  James  Moore,  an  active  young  officer, 
was  immediately  despatched,  with  forty  white  men  and 
eight  hundred  friendly  Indians.  He  found  the  enemy  in  a 
fort  near  Cotechny  river.  After  a  seige,  which  continued 
more  than  a  week,  the  fort  was  taken  and  eight  hundred 
Indians  made  prisoners.  The  Tuscaroras,  disheartened 
by  this  defeat,  migrated,  in  1713,  to  the  north,  and  joined 
the  celebrated  confederacy,  denominated  the  Five  Na- 
tions. The  others  sued  for  peace,  and  afterwards  con- 
tinued friendly. 

Until  1729,  the  two  Carolinas,  though  distinct  for 
many  purposes,  remained  under  the  superintendence  and 
control  of  the  same  proprietors.  Neither  had  been  pros- 
perous ;  and  the  interests  of  the  governors  and  governed 
being  apparently  adverse  to  each  other,  the  latter  became 
discontented  and  refractory.  They  complained  to  the 
king,  who  directed  inquiry  to  be  made  in  his  courts. 
The  charter  which  he  hud  granted  was  declared  forfeited, 
and  over  each  colony,  royal  governments,  entirely  uncon- 
nected with  each  other,  were  established. 

Soon  after  this  event,  the  soil  in  the  interior  of  North 
Carolina  was  found  to  be  superior  in  fertility  to  that  on 
the  sea  coast.  The  settlements,  consequently,  advanced 
rapidly  into  the  wilderness.  From  the  northern  colonies, 
particularly  Pennsylvania,  multitudes  were  allured  to  this 
region  by  the  mildness  of  the  climate,  and  by  the  facility 
of  obtaining  in  abundance  all  the  necessaries  of  life.  At 
peace  with  the  Indians,  and  fortunate  in  her  governors,  the 
colony  continued  to  prosper  until  the  commencement  of 
the  troubles  which  preceded  the  revolution, 


le  aid  of 
;he  com- 
g  mitrch 
lemy,  «t- 
ied  town, 
9,  peace, 
Barnwell 

cement  of 
;  southern 
ng  officer, 
5  men  and 
enemy  in  a 
1  continued 
ht  hundred 
isheartencd 
,  and  joined 
.   five  Na- 
•ward8  con- 
distinct  for 
sndence  and 
i  been  pros- 
id  governed 
itter  became 
lined  to  the 
bis  courts, 
ed  forfeited, 
[irely  uncon- 


CHAPTER  XIL 


SOUTH  CAROLINA. 


This  colony,  and  that  of  North  Carolina,  were,  as  has  al- 
ready been  stated,  included  in  the  same  charter.  In  lt370, 
governor  Sayle  made,  at  Port  Royal,  the  first  permanent 
settlement  within  its  limits.  The  next  year,  he  founded  Old 
Charleston,  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Ashley.  In  1 684,  all 
the  freemen,  meeting  at  this  place,  elected  representatives 
to  sit  in  the  colonial  parliament,  according  to  the  provisions 
of  the  constitution  prepared  by  Mr.  Locke. 

Several  circumstances  contributed  to  promote  the  settle- 
ment of  this  colony.  The  conquest  of  New-York  induced 
many  of  the  Dutch  to  resort  to  it.  From  England,  puritans 
came  to  avoid  the  profanity  and  licentiousness  which  dis- 
graced the  court  of  Charles  the  second  ;  and  cavaliers,  to 
retrieve  their  fortunes,  exhausted  by  the  civil  wars.  The 
arbitrary  measures  of  Louis  XIV.,  drove  many  French 
protestants  into  exile,  some  of  whom  crossed  the  Atlantic 
and  settled  in  Carolina.  Many  of  these  exiles  were  rich ; 
all  were  industrious,  and  by  their  exemplary  demeanor  gain- 
ed the  good  will  of  the  proprietors. 

The  situation  of  Charleston  being  found  inconvenient, 
the  inhabitants,  in  1680,  removed  to  Oyster  Point,  where 
ii  new  city  was  laid  out,  to  which  the  name  of  the  other  was 
given.  In  Xhe  same  year,  commenced  a  war  with  the  Wes- 
toes,  a  powerful  tribe  of  Indians,  which  threatened  great 
injury  to  the  colony.  Peace,  however,  was  soon  restored. 
In  1690,  Seth  Sothel,  one  of  the  proprietors,  having,  for 
corrupt  conduct, been  driven  from  n oith-CaroHna,  appear- 
ed suddenly  at  Charleston,  and,  aided  by  a  powerful  faction, 
assumed  the  reins  of  government.  Two  years  afterwards 
he  was  removed  from  office. 

The  proprietors,  having  observed  the  good  conduct  of 
the  French  protestants,  directed  the  governor  to  permit 


90X3TB  CAROLINA. 

r     a  «  nrivilegc  which  they  h*^ 

Thev  even  went  farther,  farmed  oyVF       ^^^^  ^^  ^ng- 
iS  to  enforce,  with  respect  ^^^^^^  ^  ^^^  legally 

raeed.  They  knew  not  for  whom  t^^^     ^  i„  the  colony, 
•"?:nhe  ferment  ^ja  not  subside  on  the  ".^^^^^^^^^^^ 

TesteTl  with  full  power  to  '^^^f  J^^^^e  antipathy  aga»nst 
ceeded  in  restoring  order,  but  ounu  i  ^^^^.^j,  with 

the  unfortunate  esiles  too  gr^U  to  be  e     ^^^  ^^^. 
!.'ny  hope  of-cce.s  un^^^^^^^^^^^^  effects  which  he  - 

ble  deportment.     1  nese  pru  ^  protestanta  were  aa 

Ucipated.    Inafewye-^^rMheJ^^^^^^^^^^ 
miUed,  by  the  general  a.sembly,t 

and  freemen.  .  ,     the  regulations  which  weic 

Although  the  P'^<'P"^^?'f '  2  otXocke  wa*  adopted,  ami 

inVorce  before  the  constitut  on  ot  l^o  ^^^         ^.^^,^^ 

^hich  were  restored  «P«"  '^^^J^b^e  universally  enjoy e. 
Hot  r.hertv  of  conscience  shouui  ".^i^ntpd  churchman,  anil 

«f  one  oVthem,  Led  G-";''",;^^  effect,  ifvf^ 
5ame.  Moore,  the  governor,  f""'""    EpUcopal  rehgio"' 

,hT«taM»h.nent,  in  \>'^"'7^e  '  op>»  «"^  ^"'^""'' 
TheY  knew  that  a  majority  °|J^e  pe  V         ^^^-     t^  ac 


SOUTH  CAROLINA. 


109 


they  Viaii 
unwiUing 
lOt  belong 
nselvea  in 
asperated, 

and  zeal. 
,,lhey  pro- 
ws of  Eng- 

not  legally 
eclared  that 
1  min'wteri, 
erit  the  pro- 
it  90  illiberal 
1  and  discou- 
i.  B«t,coun- 
n  the  colony, 
0  the  right  ot 

jtnoval  of  the 
raltnrbulence 

>ir  rulers  and 
k,  John  Arch- 
•olioas,  and  m- 
ices.     Hesuc- 
.upathy  against , 
cantered,  with  | 
and  their  amia- 
•ts  which  he  an- 
jstantsweread- 
ights  of  citizens  I 

^ons  which  wercl 
,a«  adopted,  ami 
,  had  stipulated, 
'ersally  enjoyedJ. 
lchurchinan,ana^ 

effect,  if  pof^H 
piscopal  rehgioH 
were  dissentersl 

»eir  de.8ign^«^5' 
,T\ciousandven» 

fered  in  the  elec 


tions,  and,  by  bribing  the  voters,  succeeded  in  procuring  n 
majority  in  the  assembly  who  would  be  subservient  to  his 
wishes. 

A  law  was  passed,  establishing  the  episcopal  religion, 
and  excluding  dissenters  from  a  seat  in  the  assembly.  It 
was  laid  before  the  proprietors,  without  whose  sanction  it 
could  not  possess  permanent  validity.  Arcbdale,  who  had 
returned  to  England,  opposed  it  with  ability  and  spirit.  He 
insisted  that  good  faith,  policy,  interest,  even  piety,  con> 
curred  to  dictate  its  rejection.  But  Lord  Granville  declared 
himself  in  favor  of  it,  nod  it  received  confirmation. 
•  The  dissenters  saw  themselves  at  once  deprived  of  those 
privileges  for  which  they  had  abandoned  their  native  coun* 
try,  and  encountered  the  dangers  and  hardships  of  the 
ocean  and  a  wilderness.  Some  prepared  to  leave  the  colony 
and  settle  in  Pennsylvania.  Others  proposed  that  a  remon- 
strance against  the  law  should  first  be  presented  to  the 
house  of  lords,  and  this  measure  was  adopted.  The  lords 
expressed,  by  a  vote,  their  disapprobation  of  the  law,  and 
upon  their  solicitation,  queen  Anne  declared  it  void.  Soon 
after,  Lord  Granville  died,  and,  controlled  by  more  liberal 
councils,  the  colony  again  enjoyed  the  blessings  of  domes- 
tic quiet. 

In  1702,  war  then  existing  between  England  and  Spain> 
governor  Moore,  thirsting  for  Spanish  plunder,  led  an  ex- 
pedition against  St.  Augustine.  It  was  badly  planned,  worse 
executed,  and  failed.  Returning  from  defeat  abroad,  be 
met,  at  home,  the  reproachei*  of  his  people.  To  silence 
these,  he  marched  at  the  head  of  a  body  of  troops,  against 
the  Apalachian  Indians,  who  had  become  insolent  and  hos- 
tile, in  this  expedition  he  was  successful,  taking  many  pri- 
soners, and  laying  their  towns  in  ashes.  By  his  victories 
over  the  savages,  he  retrieved  his  character ;  and,  by  sell- 
ing the  prisoners  as  slaves,  obtained  what  he  most  coveted, 
considerable  personal  emolument. 

In  1706,  the  Spaniards,  from  Florida,  invaded  Carolina. 
The  governor,  Nathaniel  Johnson,  having  received  intima- 
tion of  their  approach,  erected  fortifications  and  made  ar- 
rangements to  obtain,  on  short  warning,  the  assistance  of 
the  militia.  When  the  enemy's  fleet  appeared  before 
Charleston,  the  whole  strength  of  the  colony  was  summon- 
ed to  defend  it.    A  force  so  formidable,  ensured  its  safety. 

10 


JIO 


SOUTH  CAROLINA. 


h  ■ 


Af\er  burning  a  few  dctatched  buildings,  the  enemy  rettretf 
vrithout  inflicting  other  injury.  One  of  (heir  ships,  having 
ninety  men  on  board,  was  captured  by  the  Carolinians. 

In  1 7 1 5,  after  several  years  of  profound  peace,  an  Indiau 
war  broke  out.  Ail  the  tribes,  from  Florida  to  cape  Fear, 
had  been  long  engaged  in  a  conspiracy  to  extirpate  the 
whites.  In  the  morning  of  the  15th  of  April,  the  hrstblow 
was  struck.  At  Pocataligo,  and  the  settlements  around  Port 
Royal,  ninety  persons  were  massacred.  The  inhabitants 
of  the  latter  place  escaped,  by  embarking  precipitately  on 
board  a  vessel,  which  was  then  in  the  harbor,  and  sailing  di- 
rectly to  Chariest  on  r 

This  massacre  was  perpetrated  by  the  southern  Indians 
The  northern^  at  the  same  time,  attacked  the  settlements 
near  them.  Many  of  the  inhabitants  were  killed,  and  many 
fled  to  Charleston.  At  a  plantation  on  Goose  creek,  seventy 
whites,  and  forty  faithful  negroes,  being  protected  by  o 
breast  work,  determined  to  maintain  their  post.  On  the 
first  attack,  their  courage  failed,  and  they  agreed  to  sur- 
render. The  instant  they  were  in  the  power  of  the  enemy, 
all  were  barbarously  murdered. 

Governor  Craven,  at  the  head  of  twelve  hundred  men. 
marched  against  the  savages.  He  discovered  in  the  wil- 
derness several  small  parties,  who  fled  before  him.  At  Sal- 
teatchers.  he  found  them  all  assembled,  and  there  an  ob- 
stinate and  bloody  battle  was  fought.  The  whites  were  vie 
torious,  driving  the  enemy  before  them,  and  compelling 
them  to  leave  the  province.  Most  of  them  fled  to  I'lorida, 
where  they  were  received  in  the  most  friendly  manner  by 
the  Spaniards. 

In  this  short  war,  four  hundred  whites  were  killed,  pro 
perty  of  great  value  destroyed,  and  a  large  debt  contract 
ed.     The  proprietors,  though  earnestly  solicited,  refused 
to  afford  any  relief,  or  to  pay  any  portion  of  the  debt.  Thf 
assembly  determined  to  remunerate  the  colony,  by  dis- 

?osing  of  the  land  from  which  the  Indians  had  been  driven, 
'he  terms  offered  were  so  favorable,  that  five  hundred 
Irishmen  immediately  came  over,  and  planted  themselves 
90  the  frontiers. 

The  proprietors,  refusing  to  sanction  the  proceedings  oi 
the  assembly,  deprived  these  emigrants  of  their  lands.  Some 
reduced  to  extreme  poverty,  perished  from  want,  others 


f^OUTH  CAROLINA. 


Ill 


resorted  to  the  northern  colonies.  A  strong  barrier  be- 
tween the  old  settlements  and  the  savages,  was  thus  re- 
moved, and  the  country  again  exposed  to  their  incursions. 
The  people  were  exasperated,  and  longed  for  a  change  of 
masters. 

The  corrupt  and  oppressive  conduct  of  Trott,  the  chief- 
justice,  and  Rhett,  the  receiver-general,  increased  the  dis- 
content. Of  the  former,  the  governor  and  council  com- 
plained to  the  proprietors,  and  solicited  his  recall.  Instead 
of  removing  him,  the)'  thanked  him  for  his  services,  and 
removed  the  governor  and  council.  With  the  governor 
next  appointed,  though  a  man  generally  beloved,  the  as- 
sembly refused  to  have  any  concern  or  intercourse.  They 
drew  up  articles  of  impeachmpnt  against  Trott,  accusing 
him  of  corruption  and  gross  misconduct,  and  sent  an  agent 
to  England,  to  maintain  their  accusation  before  the  proprie- 
tors.    He  was  nevertheless  continued  in  office. 

The  p.ttience  of  the  people  was  exhausted,  and  they 
waited  only  for  a  favorable  opportunity  to  throw  oiT  their 
oppressive  yoke.  In  1719,  at  a  general  review  of  the  mi- 
litia at  Charleston,  occasioned  by  a  threatened  invasion  of 
the  colony,  from  Florida,  the  officers  and  soldiers  bound 
themselves,  by  a  solemn  compact,  to  support  each  other  in 
resisting  the  tyranny  of  the  proprietors  ;  and  the  assembly, 
which  was  then  in  session,  requested  the  governor,  by  a  re- 
spectful address,  to  consent  to  administer  the  government 
in  the  na?ne  of  the  king. 

He  refused,  and,  by  proclamation,  dissolved  the  assem- 
bly. The  members  immediately  met,  as  a  convention,  and 
elected  colonel  James  Moore  their  governor.  He  v,a8  a 
bold  man,  .ind  exceedingly  well  qualified  for  a  popular  lead- 
er, in  a  turbulent  season.  He  accepted  the  appointment, 
j»nd,  afisisted  by  the<:onvenlion,  and  supported  by  the  peo- 
ple, admini^iered  the  affairs  of  the  colony. 

The  conduct  of  the  proprietors  and  people  was  brought 
before  his  majesty  in  council.  After  a  full  hearing,  it  was 
^lecided,  that  both  colonies  should  be  taken  under  the  pro- 
tection of  the  crown.  Several  years  afterwards,  seven  of 
the  proprietors  sold  to  the  king  their  claim  to  the  soil  and 
rents,  and  all  assigned  to  him  their  right  of  jurisdiction. 
The  government  was  subsequently  administered  by  execu- 
iive  officers,  appointed  by  the  crown,  and  by  assemblies^ 


Ji.<( 


112 


SOt/Xn  CiROLIlTA. 


chosen  by  the  people,  and  under  their  control  the  colony 
prospered. 

In  1738,  occurred  an  Hlarming  insurrection  of  the  ne- 
groes. A  number  of  them  Hssembled  «t  Stono,  ourprised 
and  killed  two  men  who  hnd  charge  oi  a  ware-house,  from 
which  they  took  guns  and  ammunition.  They  then  chose 
a  captain,  and,  with  drums  bearing  and  colors  tlying,  marched 
southwestward.  They  burned  every  house  on  their  way, 
killed  all  the  whites  they  could  find,  and  compelled  other 
negroes  to  join  them. 

Governor  Bull,  who  was  returning  to  Charleston,  from 
the  southward,  accidentally  met  them,  hastened  out  of  their 
way,  and  spread  an  alarm.  The  news  soon  reached  Wil- 
town,  where,  fortunately,  a  lar^e  congregation  were  attend- 
ing divine  service.  The  men  having,  according  to  a  law 
of  the  province,  broui;ht  their  arms  to  the  place  of  wor- 
ship, marched  instantly  in  auest  of  the  negroes,  who,  by 
this  time,  had  become  formidable,  and  spread  terror  and 
desolation  around  them. 

While,  in  an  open  tield,  they  were  carousing  and  dancing, 
with  frantic  exultation  at  their,  late  success,  they  were  sud- 
denly attacked  by  the  whites.  Some  were  killed,  the  re- 
mainder fl^ed.  Most  of  the  fugitives  were  taken  and  tried. 
They  who  had  been  compelled  to  join  the  conspirators, 
were  pardoned  ;  but  all  the  leaders  and  first  insurgents  suf- 
fered death.     About  twenty  v  bites  were  murdered. 

From  this  period  until  the  era  of  the  revolution,  no  im- 
portant event  occurred  in  the  colony.  It  was  sometimes 
distressed  by  Indian  wars  ;  but  the  number  of  inhabitants 
and  the  means  of  subsistence  and  comfort,  were  constantly 
increiising.  Emigrants  came  principally  from  the  northern 
colonies  ;  but  often  large  bodies  of  protestants  arrived  from 
Europe  ;  in  ons  year,  1752}  the  number  who  came  ex> 
ceeded  sixteen  hundred* 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


GEOPGIA. 


Upon  the  southern  part  of  the  territory  included  in  the 
<Jarohnn  charter,  no  settlement  was  made,  until  several 
years  after  that  charier  was  forfeited.  In  June  1732,  seve- 
ral benevolent  gentlemen,  in  England,  concerted  a  project 
for  planting  a  colony  in  that  unoccupied  region.  Their 
principal  ohject  was  to  relieve,  by  transporting  thither,  the 
indigent  sul'jects  of  Great  Britain  ;  but  their  plan  of  be- 
nevolence embraced  also  the  persecuted  protestants  of  all 
nations. 

To  a  project  springing  from  motives  so  noble  and  disia- 
tcrested,  the  people  and  the  government  extended  their  en- 
couragement and  patronage.  A  patent  was  granted  by  the 
king,  conveying  to  twenty-one  trustees  the  territory  now 
constituting  the  state  of  Geohgia,  which  was  to  be  appor- 
tioned gratuitously  among  the  settlers  ;  and  liberal  dona* 
(ions  were  made  by  the  charitable,  to  defray  the  expense 
of  transporting  them  across  the  Atlantic,  and  of  providing 
for  their  support  the  first  season. 

The  concerns  of  the  colony  were  managed  by  the  trus- 
tees, who  freely  devoted  much  of  their  time  to  the  under- 
taking. Among  other  regulations,  they  provided,  that  the 
lands  should  not  be  sold  nor  devised  by  the  owners,  but 
should  descend  to  the  male  children  only ;  they  forbade  the 
use  of  rum  in  the  colony,  and  strictly  prohibited  the  im- 
portation of  negroes.  But  none  of  these  regulations  re- 
mained long  in  force. 

In  November,  1732,  one  hundred  and  thirteen  eLiigrants 
(*mbarked  for  Georgia,  at  the  head  of  whom  the  trustees 
had  placed  James  Oglethorpe,  a  zealous  and  active  promoter 
of  this  scheme  of  benevolence.  In  January,  they  arrived 
at  Charleston ;  and  the  Carolinians,  sensible  of  the  advan- 
fiige  of  having  a  barrier  between  them  and  the  soathern  In 

10* 


114 


GEORGIA. 


diana,  gave  the  adventurers  a  cordial  welcome.  They  sap- 
plied  them  with  provisions,  and  with  boats  to  convey  them 
to  the  place  of  their  destination.  Tamacraw  bluff,  since 
called  Savannah,  was  selected  as  the  most  eligible  place  for 
a  settlement. 

The  next  year,  five  or  six  hundred  poor  persons  arrived, 
and  to  each  a  portion  of  the  wilderness  was  assigned.  But 
it  was  soon  found  that  these  emigrants,  who  were  the  refuse 
of  cities,  had  been  rendered  poor  by  idlenef<s,  and  irreso- 
lute by  poverty,  were  not  fitted  to  fill  the  mighty  groves  of 
Georgia.  A  race  more  hardy  and  enterprising,  was  neces- 
sary. The  trustees,  therefore,  offered  to  receive,  alno,  such 
as  had  not,  by  persecution  or  poverty,  been  rendered  ob- 
jects of  compassion,  and  tu  grant  to  all  who  should  repair 
to  the  colony,  fifty  acres  of  land.  In  consequence  of  this 
offer,  more  than  four  hundred  persons,  from  Germany, 
Scotland,  and  Switzerland,  arrived  in  the  year  1735.  The 
Germans  settled  at  Ebenezer,  the  Scotch  at  New-Inverness, 
now  Darien. 

In  1736,  John  Wesley,  a  celebrated  methodist,  made  a 
visit  to  Georgia,  for  the  purpose  of  preaching  to  the  colo- 
nists, and  converting  the  Indians.  Among  the  former,  he 
made  some  proselytes,  but  more  enemies.  He  was  accused 
of  diverting  the  people  from  labor,  of  fomenting  divisions, 
of  claiming  and  exercising  high  and  unwarranted  ecclesias- 
tical authority.  His  conduct  towards  the  niece  of  one  ot 
the  principal  settler^,  was  highly  resented  by  her  friends. 
Thirteen  indictments  for  alleged  offences,  were  found 
against  him ;  but  before  the  time  of  trial,  he  returned  to 
England,  and  there,  for  many  years,  pursued  a  successful 
and  distinguished  career  of  piety  and  usefulness. 

Two  years  afterwards,  George  Whitefield,  another  and 
more  celebrated  methodist,  arrived  in  the  colony.  He  had 
already  made  himself  conspicuous  in  England,  by  his  nu- 
merous eccentricities,  his  ardent  piety,  his  extraordinary 
eloquence,  his  zeal  and  activity  in  propagating  his  opinions. 
He  came  to  Georgia  for  the  benevolent  purpose  of  estab- 
lishing an  orphan  house,  where  poor  children  might  be  fed, 
clothed,  and  educated  in  the  knowledge  of  Christianity.  In 
prosecution  of  this  purpose,  he  often  crossed  the  Atlantic, 
and  traversed  Great  Britain  and  America,  soliciting  aid  from 
the  pious  and  charitable.  Wherever  he  went,  he  preached, 


GEORGIA. 


115 


with  sincerity  and  fervor ;  his  peculiar  doctrines,  making 
proselytes  of  most  who  heard  him,  and  founding  a  sect 
which  has  since  become  numerous  and  respectable.  His 
orphan  house,  during  his  life,  did  not  flourish,  and  after  his 
death,  was  entirely  abandoned. 

In  1740,  the  trustees  rendered  an  account  of  their  ad* 
ministration.  At  that  time,  two  thousand  four  hundred  and 
ninety-eight  emigrants  had  arrived  in  the  colony.  Of  these, 
fifteen  hundred  and  twenty-one  were  indigent  Englishmen, 
or  persecuted  protestants.  The  benefactions,  from  govern- 
ment and  from  individuals,  had  been  nearly  halt  a  milUon 
of  dollars;  audit  was  computed  that,  tor  everv  person 
transported  and  maintained  by  the  trustees,  more  than  three 
hundred  dollars  had  been  expended. 

The  hope  which  the  trustees  had  cherished,  that  the 
colony,  planted  at  such  vast  expense,  would  be  )  rOi>perous, 
and  the  object  of  their  benevolence  happy,  were  complete- 
ly disappointed.  Such  was  the  character  of  the  greater 
part  of  the  settlers,  and  such  the  restrictions  imposed,  that 
the  plantations  languished  and  continued  to  require  the 
contributions  of  the  charitable. 

War  having  been  declared  against  Spain,  Mr.  Oglethorpe 
was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  general  in  the  British  army, 
and  at  the  head  of  two  thousand  men,  partly  from  Virginia 
and  the  Carolinas  undertook  an  expedition  against  Florida. 
He  took  two  Spanish  forts  and  besieged  St.  Augustine  ;  but 
encountering  an  obstinate  resistance,  was  compelled  to  re- 
turn unsuccessful  to  Georgia. 

Two  years  afterwards  the  Spaniards,  in  retaliation,  pre- 
pared to  invade  Georgia ;  and  they  intended,  if  successfuf 
there,  to  subjugate  the  Carolinas  and  Virginia.  On  receiving 
information  of  their  approach,  general  Oglethorpe  solicited 
assistance  from  South  Carolina.  But  the  inhabitants  of  that 
colony,  entertaining  a  strong  prejudice  against  him,  in  con- 
sequence of  his  late  defeat,  and  terrified  by  the  danger 
which  threatened  themselves,  determined  to  provide  only 
for  their  own  safety. 

Meanwhile  general  Oglethorpe  made  preparations  for  a 
vigorous  defence.  He  assembled  seven  hundred  men  ex- 
clusive of  a  body  of  Indians,  fixed  his  head  quarters  at  Fre- 
derica,  on  the  island  of  St.  Simon,  and  with  this  small  band, 
determined  to  encounter  whatever  force  might  be  brought 


vji^. 


IIG 


» 


C&OllOtA. 


against  him.  It  was  his  utmost  hope  that  he  might  be  able 
to  resist  the  enemy  until  a  reinforrement  shouhi  arrive  from 
Carolina,  which  he  dnil}-  and  anxiously  expected 

On  the  last  of  June,  the  i^^panish  fleet,  consisting  of  thirty- 
two  sail,  and  having  on  board  more  than  three  thousand 
men,  came  to  anchor  oflf  St.  Simon's  bay.  NotwiihHtanding 
all  the  resistance  which  General  Oglethorpe  could  oppose, 
they  sailed  up  the  river  Alatamaha,  landed  upon  the  island, 
and  there  erected  fortifications. 

General  Oglethorpe,  convinced  that  his  small  force,  if 
divided,  must  be  entirely  inefficient,  assembled  the  whole 
of  it  at  Frederica.  One  portion  he  employed  in  strength- 
ening his  fortifications  ;  the  Highlanders  and  Indians,  rang- 
ing night  and  day  through  the  woods,  often  attacked  the 
out-posts  of  the  enemy.  The  toil  of  the  troops  was  inces- 
sant ;  and  the  long  dolay  of  the  expected  succors,  so  cruel- 
ly withheld  by  South-Carolina,  caused  the  most  gloomy 
and  depressing  apprehensions. 

Learning  that  the  Spanish  army  occupied  two  dist-nct 
positions,  Oglethorpe  conceived  the  project  of  attacking 
one  by  surprise.  He  selected  the  br.ivest  of  his  little  army, 
and  in  the  night  marched,  entirely  unobserved,  to  within 
two  miles  of  the  camp  which  he  intended  to  assail.  Direct- 
ing his  troops  to  halt,  he  advanced,  at  the  head  of  a  small 
body,  to  reconnoitre  the  enemy.  While  thus  employed,  a 
French  soldier  of  his  party,  firing  his  musket,  deserted  to 
the  Spaniards.  Discovery  destroying  all  hope  of  success, 
the  general  immediately  returned  to  Frederica.  He  was 
not  only  chagrined  at  (his  occurrence,  but  apprehended  in- 
stant danger  from  the  disclosure  which  the  deserter  would 
doubtless  make  of  his  weakness. 

In  this  embarassment,  he  devised  an  expedient  which 
was  attended  with  the  most  happy  success.  He  wrote  a 
letter  to  the  deserter,  instructing  him  to  acquaint  the  Spa- 
niards with  Ihe  defenceless  state  of  Frederica,  to  urge  them 
to  attack  the  place,  and  if  he  could  not  succeed,  to  persuade 
them  to  remain  three  days  longer  on  the  island  ;  for  within 
that  time,  according  to  late  advices  from  Carolina,  lie  should 
receive  a  reinforcement  of  two  thousand  men  and  six  ship? 
of  war.  He  cautioned  him  against  dropping  any  hint  of  the 
attack  meditated,  by  admiral  Vernon,  upon  St.  Augustine, 
and  assured  him  that  the  reward  for  his  services  should  be 
ample. 


GEORGIA. 


117 


For  a  small  bribe,  a  soldier  who  had  been  made  prison- 
er in  one  of  the  numerous  skirmishes,  engaged  to  deliver 
this  letter  to  the  deserter,  and  was  then  set  at  liberty.  As 
was  foreseen,  he  carried  it  directly  to  the  Spanish  general, 
who  immediately  suspected  the  deserter  to  be  a  spy  from 
the  English  camp,  and  ordered  him  to  be  put  in  irons.  But 
although  his  suspicions  were  awakened,  he  was  yet  uncer** 
tain  whether  the  whole  might  not  be  a  stratagem  of  his 
antagonist. 

While  hesitating  what  to  believe  three  9mn\\  vessels  of 
war  appeared  off  the  coast.  Supposing  they  brought  the 
reinforcements  alluded  to  in  the  letter  to  the  deserter,  he 
hesitated  no  longer,  but  determimed  to  make  a  vigorous  at- 
tack upon  the  English,  before  these  reinforcements  could 
arrive  and  be  brought  into  action. 

General  Oglethorpe,  by  mere  accident,  obtained  infor- 
mation of  their  design.  A  small  party  was  instantly  placed 
in  ambuscade,  the  Spaniards  advanced  near  them,  halted  to 
rest,  and  laid  aside  their  arms.  A  sudden  and  well  direct- 
ed tire,  killing  many,  threw  the  enemy  into  confusion.  Af- 
ter a  few  more  discharges,  they  fled  to  their  fortitinations, 
which  they  demolished,  and,  hastily  embarking,  made  eve- 
ry possible  effort  to  escape  from  the  reinforcements  that 
were  suppoi^ed  to  be  approaching. 

Thus  was  Georgia,  with  trifling  loss,  delivered  from  the 
most  imminent  danger.  General  Oglethorpe  not  only  re- 
trieved, but  exalted  his  reputation.  From  the  Carolinians, 
grateful  for  their  preservation,  and  from  the  governors  of 
most  of  the  northern  colonies,  he  received  cordial  con- 
gratulations upon  bis  address  and  good  fortune.  And  so 
mortitied  were  the  Spaniards  at  the  result  of  the  expedition, 
that  the  commander,  on  his  return,  was  arrested,  tried,  and 
cashiered  for  misconduct. 

But  the  prosperity  of  the  colony  was  retarded  by  these 
disturbances.  For  ten  years  longer,  it  remained  under  the 
management  of  the  trustees,  who,  embarrassing  it  by  too 
much  regulation,  discouraged  the  emigrants  and  checked 
its  growth.  At  length,  disappointed  in  their  hopes,  and 
wearied  by  complaints,  they  surrendered  their  charter  to 
the  crown  ;  and,  in  1764,  a  royal  government  was  estab- 
lished over  the  colony. 

New  regulations  being  adopted,  Georgia  began  to  flou- 


lis 


OEOROIA. 


risb.  Among  her  governors,  James  Wright  deserves  ho- 
norable notice  for  his  wisdom  in  discerning,  and  his  zeal  in 
pursuing  her  true  interests.  The  cultivation  of  rice  and 
indigo,  was  prosecuted  with  augmented  industry,  skill,  and 
profit ;  and  in  every  succeeding  year,  an  increased  amount 
of  these  staple  commodities  was  exported  to  the  mother 
country.  The  Florida  Indians  were  sometimes  trouble- 
some, but  were  as  often  chastised  and  compelled  to  sue  foi 
j)eace. 


'*wffe 


<*!> 


"'if-' 


-  r 


CHAPTER  XIV.     • 

, .  , ,  -  ^-  >■ 

FRENCH  WAR  OF  1756-63, 


The  treaty  of  Aix  la  Chapelle  concluded  in  1748,  bo* 
tween  England  and  France,  retored  tranquillity  to  America.. 
At  this  period,  the  number  of  inhabitants  in  the  thirteen 
colonies  was  about  one  million  one  hundred  thousand.  The 
English  settlements  had  not  advanced  far  into  the  wilder- 
ness, but  extended  along  the  ocean  from  New-Foundland  to 
Florida.  Those  of  the  French,  at  the  north,  reached  from 
the  mouth  of  the  St  Lawrence  to  Montreal  ;  and  they  had 
built  forts  and  trading  houses  on  lake  Ontario.  At  the 
south,  they  had  planted  New-Orleans,  and  having  disco- 
vered the  river  Missisippi,  they  claimed  the  fertile  and 
delightful  valley  through  which  it  runs,  and  the  whole 
country  watered  by  its  tributary  streams. 

They  at.  length  determined  to  connect  their  northern 
and  southern  settlements  by  a  chain  of  posts  extending 
along  the  frontiers  of  the  English,  from  lake  Ontario  to 
the  Ohio,  and  down  that  river  and  the  Missisippi  to  New- 
Orleans?.  While  they  were  intent  on  this  project,  a  com- 
pany of  English  traders,  having  obtained  fiom  the  king  a 
grant  of  land,  established  trading  houses  on  the  banks  of 
the  Ohio. 

The  French  seized  some  of  these  traders  and  conveyeil 
them  prisoners  to  Canada.  The  company  complained  to 
governor  Dinwiddie,  of  Virginia.  The  land  having  been 
granted  as  a  part  of  that  colony,  he  determined  to  send  u 
messenger  to  the  commander  of  the  French  forces  on  the 
Ohio,  and  require  him  to  withdraw  his  troops.  For  this 
mission  he  selected  George  Washington,  who  was  then 
twenty-one  years  of  age  and  who  afterwards  btrcame  illus- 
trioQs  in  the  annals  of  his  country. 


116 


FRENCH   WAR   OF   ITSG'-Gd. 


To  the  letter  of  Dinwiddie,  the  French  commander  re- 
plied, that  he  had  taken  possession  of  the  country  in  pur- 
suance of  directions  from  his  general,  then  in  Canada,  to 
whom  he  would  transmit  the  letter,  and  whose  orders  he 
should  implicitly  obey.  This  reply  not  being  satisfactory 
to  the  go vernor^ preparations  were  made  in  Virginia,  to 
maintain  by  force  the  rights  of  the  British  crown.  Troops, 
constituting  a  regiment,  were  raised,  the  command  of 
whom,  on  the  death  of  the  colonel  first  appointed,  was 
given  to  Mr.  Washington. 

At  the  head  of  about  four  hundred  men,  he  advanced, 
early  in  the  spring,  into  the  territory  in  dispute.  On  his 
route,  he  met,  attacked,  and  defeated,  a  French  party  un- 
der the  i^ommand  of  one  Oyonville,  who  approached  him 
in  a  manner  indicating  hostile  intentions.  He  proceeded 
towards  fort  Du  Q,oene,  situated  at  the  junction  of  the 
Allegany  an^i  Moiiongnhela.  From  this  fort,  De  Villier, 
at  the  head  of  nine  hundred  men,  marched  out  to  attack 
him. 

Hearing  of  the  approach  of  this  party,  colonel  Washing- 
ton baited,  and  hastily  erected  some  imperfect  works,  by 
means  of  which  he  hoped  to  prolong  his  defence  until  the 
arrival  of  reinforcements.  He  was  closely  besieged  by 
De  Villier,  but  making  an  obstinate  defence,  was  oflfered 
the  most  honorable  terms  of  capitulation.  These  he 
accepted,' and  returned  with  his  regiment  to  Virginia. 

In  ti»is  year,  delegates  from  seven  of  the  colonies  met 
at  Albany,  for  the  purpose  of  holding  a  conference  with 
the  Six  Nations  of  Indians.  This  business  bein;;  finished, 
a  confederation  of  the  colonies  was  proposed  by  the  dele- 
gates from  Massachusetts.  A  "  Plan  of  Union"  was  ^jgreed 
upon,  to  be  submitted  to  the  colonial  legislatures,  and  to 
parliament,  for  their  adoption. 

This  plan  provided  that  delegates  to  a  General  Council 
should  be  chosen  by  the  representatives  of  the  people,  in 
the  colonial  aissemblies,  and  that  a  president-general  should 
be  appointed  by  the  crown.  This  council  was  to  pos&ass 
the  control  of  the  military  force  of  the  confederacy,  and 
the  power  to  concert  all  measures  for  the  common  pro- 
tection and  safety.  The  president-general  was  to  have  a 
negative  upon  the  proceedings  of  the  delegates. 


176B. 


FRENCH   WAR  OF   1  756-63'. 


rti 


This  plan  was  rejected  by. parliament,  because  the  dele» 
gates  were  to  be  chosen  by  the  representatives  of  the 
people.  It  was  regretted  by  the  coloni*'8,  becHuse  it 
placed  too  much  power  in  the  hands  of  the  king.  In  Eng- 
land, apprehensions  were  already  entertained  of  the  grow- 
ing importance  of  the  colonial  assemblies.  In  America,  the 
people  began,  perhaps  unconsciously,  to  be  actuated  by 
the  spirit  of  independence. 

The  conduct  of  the  French,  on  the  Ohio,  convinced  the 
cabinet  of  London  that  their  claim  to  the  country  thruugh 
which  that  river  flows  must  be  relinquished,  or  maintain- 
ed by  the  s^^word.  They  did  not  hesitate  which  alterna- 
tive to  choose.  Early  in  the  spring  of  1755,  they  des- 
patched general  Braddock  to  America,  with  a  respectable 
force,  to  expel  the  French,  and  keep  possession  of  the  ter- 
ritory. And  preparations  havine;  been  made  by  France  to 
despatch  a  reinforcement  io  her  armies  in  Canada,  admiral 
Boscawen  was  ordered  to  endeavor  to  intercppt  the  French 
fleet  before  it  should  enter  the  gulf  of  St.  Lawrence. 

In  April,  general  Braddock  met  the  governors  of  the 
several  provinces,  to  confer  upon  the  plan  of  the  ensuing 
campaign.  Three  expeditions  were  resolved  upon :  one 
against  Du  Quesne,  to  be  commanded  by  general  Braddock  ; 
one  against  forts  Niagara  and  Frontinac,  to  be  commanded 
by  governor  Shirley;  and  one  against  Crown  Point,  tOFbe 
commanded  by  general  Johnson.  This  last  originated  with 
Massachusetts,  and  was  to  be  executed  by  colonial  troops, 
raised  in  New-England  and  New-York. 

While  preparations  were  making  for  these  expeditions, 
another,  which  had  been  previously  concerted,  was  car- 
ried on  against  the  French  forces  in  Nova  Scotia.  This 
j)rovince  was  settled  by  the  French,  but  was  ceded  to  th« 
English  by  the  treaty  of  Utrecht.  Its  boundaries  not 
having  been  defined,  the  French  continued  to  occupy  a 
portion  of  the  territory  claimed  by  the  English,  and  had 
built  forts  for  their  defence.  To  gain  possession  of  these 
was  the  object  of  the  expedition. 

About  two  thousand  miUtia,  commanded  by  Colonel 
Wioslow,  embarked  at  Boston  ;  and  being  joined  on  their 
passage  by  three  hundred  regulars,  arrived,  in  April,  at 
the  place  of  destination.  The  forts  were  invested ;  the 
resistance  made  was  trifling  and  ineffectual ;  and  in  a  short 

11 


m 


122 


VRENCH  WAR  OF  1756-65< 


1765. 


time  the  EDglish  gained  entire  possession  of  the  province 
according  to  their  own  definition  of  its  boundaries.  Three 
only  of  their  men  were  killed. 

The  preparations  of  General  Braddock  in  Virginia  had 
proceeded  slowly.  It  had  been  found  extremely  difficult 
to  procure  horses,  wagons,  and  provisions.  Impatient  of 
delay,  he  determined  to  8et  out  with  twelve  hundred  men, 
selected  from  the  different  corps,  and  to  proceed  as  rapidly 
as  possible  towards  fort  Du  Quesne.  The  residue  of  the 
army,  and  the  heavy  baggage,  were  left  under  the  com- 
mand of  Col.  Dunbar,  who  was  directed  to  follow  as  soon 
as  the  preparations  were  completed. 

Braddock  had  been  educated  in  the  English  army  ;  and 
in  the  science  of  war,  as  then  taught  in  Europe,  he  de- 
served and  enjoyed  the  reputation  of  more  than  ordinary 
skill.  Of  this  reputation  he  was  vain,  and  disdained  to 
consider  that  his  skill  was  totally  inapplicable  to  the  mode 
of  warfare  practised  in  the  forests  of  America.  Before  he 
left  England,  he  was  repeatedly  admonished  to  beware  of 
a  surprise  ;  and  on  his  march  through  the  wilderness,  the 
provincial  officers  frequently  entreated  him  to  scour  the 
surrounding  thickets.  But  he  held  these  officers  and  the 
enemy  in  too  much  contempt  to  listen  to  this  salutary 
counsel. 

0a  approachmg  fort  Vn  Quesne,  Col.  Washington,  who 
accompanied  him  as  his  aid,  made  a  last  attempt  to  induce 
him  to  change  his  order  of  march.  He  explained  the  In- 
dian mode  of  warfare ;  represented  his  dangers ;  and  of- 
fered to  take  command  of  the  provincials  and  place  himf^clt 
ia  advance  of  the  army.  This  offer  was  declined.  The 
general  proceeded,  contident  of  the  propriety  of  his  con- 
duct ;  the  provincials  followed,  trembling  for  the  conse- 
quences. 

On  the  ninth  of  July ,  the  army  crossed  the  Monongahelu 
within  a  few  miles  of  Du  Quesne.  Their  route  led 
through  a  defile,  which  they  had  nearly  passed,  wh^n  a 
tremendous  yell  and  instantaneous  discharge  of  fire  arms, 
suddenly  burst  upon  them  from  an  invisible  foe.  The  van 
Was  thrown  into  confusion.  The  general  led  the  main 
body  to  its  support.  For  a  moment,  order  was  restored, 
and  a  short  cessation  of  the  enemy's  fire,  occasioned  by 


1765. 


FRENCH  WAR  OF   1756-63. 


123 


the     .>ath  of  their  commander,  seemed  lO  indicate  that  all 
danger  was  over. 

But  the  attack  was  soon  renewed  with  increased  fury. 
Concealed  behind  trees,  logs,  and  rocks,  the  Indians 
poured  upon  the  troops  a  deadly  and  incessant  fire.  Offi- 
cers and  men  fell  thickly  around,  and  the  i^urvivers  knew 
not  where  to  direct  their  aim  to  revenge  their  slaug^htered 
comrades.  The  whole  body  was  again  thrown  into  confu- 
sion. The  general,  obstinate  and  courageous,  refused  to 
retreat,  but  bent  his  whole  efforts  to  restore  and  maintain 
order.  He  persisted  in  these  efforts,  until  five  horses  had 
been  shot  under  him,  and  every  one  of  his  officers  on 
horseback,  exeept  colonel  Washington,  was  either  killed  or 
wounded. 

The  general  at  length  fell,  and  the  rout  became  univer- 
sal. The  troops  fled  precipitately  until  they  met  the  divi- 
sion under  Dunbar,  then  sixty  miles  in  the  rear.  To  this 
body  the  same  panic  was  communicated.  Turning  about* 
they  fled  w'lth  the  rest,  and  although  no  enem}'  had  been 
seen  durin>>;  the  engagement,  nor  afterwards,  yet  the  army 
continued  retreating  until  it  reached  fort  Cumberland,  one 
hundred  and  twenty  miles  from  the  place  of  action. 

There  they  remained  but  a  short  time.  With  the  rem- 
nant of  the  army,  amounting  to  fifteen  hundred  men,  colonel 
Dunbar,  u))on  whom,  on  the  death  of  Braddock,  the  corn- 
mand  devolved,  marched  to  Philadelphia,  leaving  the  fron- 
tiers of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia  destitute  of  defence. 

The  provincial  troops,  whom  Braddock  had  »o  much 
despised,  displayed  during  the  battle,  the  utmost  calmness 
and  coiirage.  Though  placed  in  the  rear,  they  alone,  led 
on  by  Washington,  advanced  against  the  Indians  and  covered 
the  retreit.  Had  they  been  permitted  to  fight  in  their 
own  way,  they  could  easily  have  defeated  the  enemy.  In 
this  battle,  sixty-four,  out  of  eighty-five  officers,  were 
either  killed  or  wounded,  and  ut  least  one  half  of  the 
privates. 

The  two  northern  expeditions,  though  not  so  disastrous, 
were  both  unsuccessful.  General  Shirley,  who  had  been 
appointed  to  command  that  against  Niagara,  met  with  so 
many  delays  that  he  did  not  reach  Oswego  until  ^ate  in 
August.  While  embarking  there  to  proceed  against  Nia- 
gara, the  autumnal  rains  began,  his  troops  became  dis- 


124 


FRENCH  WAR  OF   1756-63. 


I76y. 


couraged,  his  Indian  allies  deserted  him,  and  he  was  com- 
pelled to  relinquish  hia  design. 

The  forces  destined  to  attack  Crown  Point  And  the  re- 
quisite military  stores,  could  not  be  collected  at  Albany 
until  the  last  of  August.  Thence  the  army,  under  the 
command  of  general  Johnson,  proceeded  to  the  Hoiith  end 
of  lake  George,  on  their  way  to  the  place  of  destination. 
There  he  learned,  that  the  armament,  fitted  out  in  the 
ports  of  France,  eluding  the  English  squadron,  had  arrived 
at  Q,uehec,  and  that  baron  Dieskau,  commander  of  the 
French  forces,  was  advancing  with  an  army  towards  the 
territories  of  the  English.  He  halted,  erected  slight 
breastworks,  and  detached  colonel  Williams  with  a  thou- 
sand men,  to  impede  the  progress  of  the  enemy. 

Dieskau,  who  ivas  near,  was  immediately  informed  of  the 
approach  of  this  detachment.  Without  losing  a  moment,  he 
directed  his  troops  to  conceal  themselves.  The  English 
advanced  into  the  midst  of  their  enemy,  and,  from  every 
quarter,  received,  at  the  same  moment,  a  sudden  and  unex- 
pected fire.  Their  leader  fell,  and  the  men  fled,  in  disor- 
der, to  the  camp. 

They  were  followed  closely  by  the  enemy,  who  ap- 
proached within  one  hundred'  and  fmy  yards  of  the  breast- 
work :  and,  had  they  made  an  immediate  assault,  would, 
probably, such  was  the  panic  of  the  English,  have  been  tiuc- 
ces>f(il.  But.  here  they  halted,  to  make  dispositions  for  a 
regular  attack.  The  Indians  and  Canadians  were  despatciied 
to  the  flanks,  and  the  regular  troops  began  the  attack  with 
firing,  by  platoons,  at  the  center.  Their  tire  was  infiectu^ 
a1,  and  the  provincials  gradually  resumed  their  courage. 

A  few  dischan;es  of  the  artillery  drove  the  Canadians  and 
Indians  to  the  swamps.  The  regulars,  although  deserted 
by  the  auxiliaries,  maintained  the  conflict,  for  more  than  aa 
hour,  with  much  steadiness  and  resolution.  Dieskau,  con* 
Tinced  that  all  his  efforts  must  be  unavailing,  then  gave  or- 
ders to  retreat.  This  produced  some  confusion,  which, 
being  perceived  by  the  provincials,  they  simultaneously, 
and  without  orders  or  concert,  leaped  over  the  intrench- 
ments,  fell  upon  the  French  soldiers,  and  killed,  captured, 
or  dispersed  them.  The  baron  was  wounded  and  made 
prisoner. 

The  next  day,  colonel  Blanchard,  who  commanded  a,t 


nsG. 


tH       H  WAR  'oj  1756-  s>3. 


126 


fort  Edtvard,  Aeap^  tied  capt%t>ia  M'Ginnis,  of  New-Hainp> 
shire,  with  two  hiindre  '  met  'o  the  aiaistance  of  general 
Johnflon.  On  his  way,  he  discovered  between  three  and 
four  hundred  of  the  enemy  seated  around  a  pond,  not  far 
from  the  place  where  colonel  Williams  had  been  df^feated. 
Notwithstanding  his  inferiority  in  numbers,  he  determined 
to  attack  them.  So  impetuous  was  the  onset,  that  after  a 
sharp  conflict,  the  enemy  fled.  The  brave  captain,  how- 
ever, was  mortally  wounded.  In  the  several  enagements, 
the  provincials  lost  about  two  hundred  men ;  the  enemy 
upwards  of  seven  hundred. 

General  Johnson,  though  strongly  importuned  by  the  go- 
vernment of  Massachusetts,  refused  to  proceed  upon  his 
expedition,  which  was  abandoned,  and  most  of  his  troops 
returned  to  their  respective  colonies.  Thus  ended  the  cam- 
paign of  1755.  It  opened  with  the  brightest  prospects, 
immense  preparations  had  been  made,  yet  not  one  of  the 
objects  of  the  three  great  expeditions  had  been  attained. 

During  the  fall  and  winter,  the  southern  colonies  were 
ravaged,  and  the  usual  barbarities  perpetrated  upon  the 
frontier  inhabitants,  by  the  savages,  who,  on  the  defeat  of 
Braddock,  and  the  retreat  of  his  army,  saw  nothing  to  re- 
strain their  fury.  In  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania,  disputes 
existed  between  the  governor  and  legislatures,  which  pre- 
vented all  attention  tu  the  means  of  defence.  Scarcely  a 
post  was  maintained,  or  a  soldier  employed  in  their  service. 

The  colonies,  fur  from  being  discouraged  by  the  misfor- 
tunes of  the  last  campaign,  determined  to  renew  and  in- 
crease their  exertions.  General  Shirley,  to  whom  the  su- 
perintendence of  all  the  military  operations  had  been  con- 
tided,  assembled  a  council  of  war  at  New- York,  to  concert 
a  plan  for  the  ensuing  year.  He  proposed  that  expeditions 
should  be  carried  on  against  Du  Q,uesne,  Niagara,  and 
Crown  Point,  and  that  a  body  of  troops  should  be  sent,  by 
the  way  of  the  rivers  Kennebec  and  Chaudiere,  to  alarm 
the  French  for  the  safety  of  Quebec.  This  plan  was  unan- 
imously adopted  by  the  council. 

Shirley,  on  the  last  of  January,  repaired  to  Boston,  to 
meet  the  assembly  of  Massachusetts,  of  which  colony  he 
tvas  governor.  He  endeavored  to  persuade  them  to  con- 
cur in  the  measures  proposed  ;  but,  disgusted  with  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  last  campaign,  and  especially  at  general 

11* 


126 


FRENCH  WAR  OK   1756-63. 


I7f)fl. 


Johnson^fl  neglecting  to  pursue  his  advantages,  they  were 
unwilling  to  engage  in  offensive  operations,  unless  the  com- 
mand of  their  forces  should  be  given  to  general  Winslow, 
who  had  acquired  populuritv  by  his  success  in  Nova-Scotia. 
Their  wishes  were  complied  with,  and  their  concurrence 
was  then  granted. 

In  April,  neivs  arrived  from  Great  Britain,  that  the  con 
duct  of  general  Johnson,  instead  of  being  censured,  was 
considered  highly  meritorious  ;  that,  as  a  reward  for  his 
success,  the  king  had  conferred  upon  him  the  title  of  baro- 
net, and  parliament  a  grant  of  five  thousand  pound»  ster- 
ling ;  that  his  majesty  disapproved  of  the  conduct  of  Shir- 
ley, and  had  determined  to  remove  him  from  command. 

This  information  not  being  official,  general  Shirley  con 
tinned  his  preparations  with  his  usual  activity  and  zeal. 
While  engat^ed  in  collecting,  at  Albany,  the  troops  from  the 
different  colonies,  general  Webb  brought  from  England  of- 
ficial information  of  his  removal.  On  the  'i5th  of  June. 
general  Abercrombie  arrived,  and  took  command  of  the 
army.  It  now  consisted  of  about  twelve  thousand  men,  and 
was  more  numerous  and  better  prepared  for  the  field  than 
any  army  that  had  ever  b^en  assembled  in  America. 

Singular  as  it  may  appear,  while  this  sanguinary  war 
raged  in  America,  the  intercourse  between  the  two  nation;- 
in  Europe,  not  only  continued  uninterrupted,  but  seemed 
more  than  usually  friendly.  This  unnatural  state  of  thing'f; 
could  not  long  continue.  Great  Britain  declared  war  in 
May,  and  France  in  June. 

The  change  of  commanders  delayed  the  operations  of  tho 
English  army.  The  French  were  active  ;  and  on  the  I2tlt 
of  July,  general  Abercrombie  received  intelligence  ih  't 
they  meditated  an  attack  upon  Oswego,  a  post  of  the  utmost 
importance.  General  Webb  was  ordered  to  prepare  »o 
march  with  a  regiment  for  the  defence  of  that  place.  In  the 
mean  time,  Lord  Loudon,  who  had  been  appointed  com- 
mander-in-chief over  all  the  British  forces  in  the  colonics, 
arrived  in  America. 

Amidst  the  ceremonies  which  followed,  the  affairs  of  the 
war  were  forgotten.  General  Webb  did  not  begin  his  march 
until  the  12th  of  August.  Before  he  had  proceeded  far,  he 
learned  that  Oswego  was  actually  besieged  by  a  large  army 
of  French  and  Indians.     Alarmed  for  his  own  safety,  he 


1766. 


FRENCH  WAR  OF   1756-G3. 


127 


proceeded  no  farther,  but  employed  his  troops  in  erecting 
fortificationfl  for  their  defence. 

General  Montcalm,  the  commander  of  the  French  troops 
in  Canada,  began  the  siege  of  Oswego  on  the  12th  of  August. 
On  the  14th,  the  English  commander  having  been  killed, 
terms  of  surrender  were  proposed  by  the  garrison,  and 
were  ctgreed  to.  These  terms  were  shamefully  violated. 
Several  of  the  British  officers  nnd  soldiers  were  insulted, 
robbed,  and  massacred  by  the  Indians.  Most  of  the  sick 
were  scalped  in  the  hospitals,  and  thr  French  general  de- 
livered twenty  of  the  garrison  to  the  ■  ivages,  that  being  the 
number  they  had  lost  during  th>>  h  •  e.  Those  unhappy 
wretches  were,  doubtless,  arcot>uiiic,  i>  •«•  j  Indian  custom, 
tortured  and  burnt. 

General  Webb  was  perms.' o.d  tc  w  i  cat,  unmolested,  to 
Albany.  Lord  Loudon  pret..  nit  i  i  vt ,;  v  too  late  in  the 
season  to  attempt  any  thin  .;  jgh  the  troops  un- 

der general  Winslow  wen  ^  -  uiin  a  few  days  march  of  Ti- 
ronderogaand  Crown  Point,  and  were  sufficient  in  number 
to  justify  an  attack  upon  those  places.  He  devoted  the  re- 
mainder of  the  season  to  making  preparations  for  an  early 
and  vigorous  campaign  the  ensuing  year. 

This  spring  had  opened  with  still  more  brilliant  prospects 
than  the  Inst ;  and  the  season  closed  without  the  occurrence 
of  a  sini{lc  event  that  was  honorable  to  the  British  arms, 
or  advantageous  to  the  colonies.  This  want  of  success  was 
justly  attributed  to  the  removal  of  the  provincial  officers, 
who  were  well  acquainted  with  the  theatre  of  operations, 
i)ut  whom  the  ministry,  desirous  of  checking  the  growth  of 
talents  in  the  colonies,  were  unwilling  to  employ.  Yet  the 
■•overal  assemblies,  though  they  saw  themselves  thus  slight- 
<m1,  and  thoir  money  annually  squandered,  made  all  the 
preparations  that  were  required  of  them  for  the  next  cam- 
paign. 

The  reduction  of  Louisburgh  was  the  object  to  which  the 
ministry  directed  the  attention  of  Lord  Loudon.  In  the 
spring  of  1767,  he  sailed  from  New-Yerk,  with  6000  men, 
and,  at  Halifax,  met  admiral  Holbourn,  with  transports  con- 
taining an  equal  number  of  troops,  nnd  a  naval  force  con- 
sisting of  fifteen  ships  of  the  line.  When  about  to  proceed 
to  their  place  of  destination,  intelligence  arrived  that  the 
garrison  at  Louisburgh  had  recQived  alarge  reinforcement, 


t28 


FRENCH  WAR  OF   1656-63. 


1757. 


and  expected  and  desired  a  visit  from  the  English.  Dis< 
heartened  by  this  inteUigence,  the  general  and  admiral  aban- 
doned the  expedition. 

While  the  English  commanders  were  thus  irresolute  and 
idle,  the  French  were  enterprising  and  active,  in  March, 
general  Montcalm  made  an  attempt  to  surprise  fort  William 
Henry,  at.  the  south  end  of  lake  George,  but  was  defeated 
by  the  vigilance  and  bravery  of  the  garrison.  He  returned 
(o  Crown  Point,  leaving  a  party  of  troops  at  Ticonderoga. 
Against  this  post,  near  four  hundred  men  were  sent  from 
the  fort,  under  the  command  of  colonel  Parker. 

The  colonel  was  deceived  in  his  intelli£;ence,  decoyed 
into  an  ambuscade,  and  attacked  with  such  fury,  that  but 
two  officers  and  si^enty  privates  escaped.  Encouraged  b} 
this  success,  IVIontcalm  determined  to  return  and  besiege 
fort  William  Henry.  For  this  purpose,  he  assembled  an 
army,  consisting  of  regular  troops,  Canadians  and  Indians, 
and  amounting  to  near  ten  thousand  men. 

Major  Putnam,  a  brave  and  active  partizan,  obtained  in- 
formation of  the  purposes  of  Montcalm,  which  he  commu- 
nicated to  general  Webb,  who,  in  the  absence  of  Lord  Lou- 
don, commanded  the  British  troops  in  thnt  quarter.  Tlie 
general  enjoined  silence  upon  Putnam,  and  adopted  no  other 
measure  on  receivingtheintelligence,  than  sending  colonel 
Monro  to  take  command  of  the  fort. 

The  day  after  this  officer,  ignorant  of  what  was  to  hap- 
pen, had  arrived  at  his  post,  the  lake  appeared  covered 
with  boats,  which  swiftly  approached  the  shore.  Montcalm, 
with  but  little  opposition,  effected  a  landing,  and  immediately 
begtin  the  siege.  The  garrison,  consisting  of  two  thouf?nntI 
five  hundred  men,  animated  by  the  expectation  of  relief, 
made  a  gallant  defence. 

General  Webb  had  an  army  at  fort  Edward,  of  more  than 
four  thousand  men,  and  it  was  in  his  power  to  call  in  a  large 
number  of  provincial  tioops  from  New- York  and  New- 
England.  To  him  colonel  Monro  sent  repeated  and  press- 
ing solicitations  for  immediate  succor.  These  he  disregnrd- 
cd,  seeming  entirely  indifferent  to  the  distressing  situatiun 
of  his  fellow  soldiers. 

At  length,  on  the  ninth  day  of  the  siege,  in  compliance 
with  the  entreaties  of  the  friends  of  Monro,  general  Webb 
(despatched  sir  William  Johnson,  with  a  body  of  men,  to  his 


1757. 


FRENCH  WAR  OF   1766-63. 


129 


relief.  They  had  not  proceeded  three  miles,  when  the 
order  was  countermanded.  Webb  then  wrote  to  Monro 
that  be  could  afford  him  no  assistance,  and  advised  him  to 
surrender  on  the  best  terms  that  he  could  obtain. 

This  letter  was  intercepted  by  Montcalm,  who,  in  a  con- 
ference which  he  procured,  handed  it  himself  to  the  com- 
mander of  the  fort.  All  hope  of  relief  being  extinguished, 
articles  of  capitulation  were  agreed  to.  In  these  it  was  ex- 
pressly stipul'Ated,  by  Montcalm,  that  the  prisoners  should 
be  protected  from  the  savages,  by  a  guard,  and  that  the  sick 
and  wounded  should  be  treated  with  humanity. 

But  the  next  morning,  a  great  number  of  Indians,  having 
been  permitted  to  enter  the  lines,  began  to  plunder.  Meet- 
ing with  no  opposition,  they  fell  upon  the  sick  and  wound- 
ed, whom  they  immediately  massacred.  This  excited  their 
appetite  for  carnage.  The  defenceless  troops  were  sur- 
rounded and  attacked  v  ith  fiend-like  fury.  Monro,  hasten- 
ing to  Montcalm,  implored  him  to  provide  the  stipulated 
guard. 

His  entreaties  were  ineffectual,  and  the  massacre  pro- 
ceeded. All  was  turbulence  and  horror.  On  every  side, 
savages  were  butchering  and  scalping  their  wretched  vic- 
tims. Their  hideous  yells,  the  groans  of  the  dying,  and 
the  frantic  shrieks  of  others,  shrinking  from  the  uplifled 
tomahawk,  were  heard  by  the  French  unmoved.  The  fury 
of  the  savages  was  permitted  to  rage  without  restraint,  un- 
til fifteen  hundred  were  killed,  or  hurried  captives  into  the 
wilderness. 

The  day  after  this  awful  tragedy,  major  Putnam  was  sent, 
with  his  rangers,  to  watch  the  motions  of  the  enemy.  When 
he  came  to  the  shore  of  the  lake,  their  rear  was  hardly  be- 
yond the  reach  of  musket  shot.  The  prospect  was  shock- 
ing and  horrid.  The  fort  was  demolished.  The  barracks 
and  buildings  were  yet  burning.  Innumerable  fragments 
of  human  carcasses,  still  broiled  in  the  decaying  tires.  Dead 
bodies,  mangled  with  tomahawks  and  scalping  knives,  in  all 
the  wantonness  of  Indian  barbarity,  were  every  where  scat- 
tered around. 

General  Webb,  apprehensive  of  an  attack  upon  himself, 
sent  expresses  to  the  provinces  for  reinforcements.  They 
were  raised  and  despatched  with  expedition  ;  but  as  Mont- 
calm returned  to  Ticonderoga,  they  were  kept  in  service 


^ 


130 


FRENCH  WAR  OF   1736-63. 


1767. 


but  a  few  weeks.     And  thus  ended  the  third  campaign  in 
America. 

These  continual  disasters  resulted  from  folly  and  mis- 
management, rather  than  from  want  of  means  and  military 
strength.  The  British  nation  was  alarmed  and  indignant, 
and  the  king  found  it  necessary  to  change  his  councils.  At 
the  head  of  the  new  ministry,  he  placed  the  celebrated 
William  Pitt,  who  was  raised  by  his  talents  from  the  hum- 
ble post  of  ensign  in  the  guards,  to  the  control  of  the  des- 
tinies of  a  mighty  empire.  Public  confidence  revived,  and 
the  nation  seemed  inspired  with  new  life  and  vigor. 

For  the  next  campaign,  the  ministry  determined  upon 
three  expeditions ;  one  of  twelve  thousand  men  against 
Louisburg ;  one  of  sixteen  thousand  against  Ticonderoga 
and  Crown  Point,  and  one  of  eight  thousand  against  fort 
Du  Q,uesne.  The  colonies  were  called  upon  to  render  all 
the  assistance  in  their  power.  Lord  London  having  been 
recalled,  the  command  of  the  expedition  against  Louisburg 
was  given  to  general  Amherst,  under  whom  general  Wolf 
served  as  a  brigadier.  The  place  was  invested  on  the  12th 
of  June.  Amherst  made  his  approaches  with  much  cir- 
cumspection ;  and,  without  any  memorable  incident,  thf) 
siege  terminated  on  the  2f5th  of  July,  by  the  surrender  of 
the  place.  Whenever  an  opportunity  occurred,  general 
Wolf,  who  was  then  young,  displayed  all  that  tire,  impetu- 
osity, and  discretion,  which  afterwards  immortalized  his 
name. 

The  expedition  against  Ticonderoga,  was  commanded  by 
general  Abercrombie.  He  was  accompanied  by  Lord  Howe, 
whose  military  talents  and  amiable  virtues  made  him  the 
darling  of  the  soldiery.  This  army  consisted  of  seven  thou- 
sand regular  troops,  and  ten  thousand  provincials.  When 
approaching  the  fort,  a  skirmish  took  place  with  a  small 
party  of  the  enemy,  in  which  Lord  Howe  was  killed  at  the 
first  fire.  On  seeing  him  fall,  the  troops  moved  forward 
with  an  animated  determination  to  avenge  his  death.  Three 
hundred  of  the  enemy  were  killed  on  the  spot,  and  one 
hundred  and  forty  made  prisoners. 

The  ardor  of  his  men,  and  the  intelligence  gained  from 
the  prisoners,  induced  general  Abercrombie  to  make  an  as- 
sault upon  the  works.  It  ivas  received  with  undaunted 
brayery^  and  was  perscTered  in  with  singular  obstinacy, 


1758. 


FRENCH  WAR  OF  1756-63. 


131 


For  four  hours,  the  (roops  remained  before  the  walls,  at- 
tempting to  scale  them,  and  expoi^ed  to  a  destructive  fire  of 
musketry  and  artillery.  The  general,  despairing  of  suC' 
cess,  then  directed  a  retreat.  Near  two  thousand  of  the 
assailants  were  killed  or  wounded.  The  loss  of  the  French 
was  not  great,  and  most  of  the  killed  were  shot  through  the 
head,  the  other  parts  of  their  bodies  being  protected  by 
their  works. 

After  this  bloody  repulse,  Abercromhie  despatched  coU 
onel  Bradstreet,  with  three  thousand -men,  mostly  prorin- 
cials,  against  fort  Frontinac,  which  was  situated  on  lake  On- 
tario, and  contained  a  large  quantity  of  merchandise,  pro- 
visions,  and  military  stores.  It  fell  an  easy  conquest,  and 
the  loss  was  severely  felt  by  the  French.  The  western 
Indians,  not  receiving  their  usual  supply  of  merchandise, 
relaxed  m  their  exertions  ;  and  the  troops  at  Du  Qjuesne 
suffered  from  the  want  of  the  provisions  and  military  stores. 
These  circumstances  contributed  essentially  to  facilitate  the 
operations  of  the  third  expedition. 

This  was  placed  under  the  command  of  general  Forbes. 
He  left  Philadelphia  in  the  beginning  of  July,  and,  after  a 
laborious  march,  through  deep  morasses  and  over  unex- 
plored mountains,  arrived  at  Raystown,  ninety  miles  from 
Du  Qnesne.  An  advanced  party  of  eight  hundred  men,  un- 
der the  command  of  major  Grant,  was  met  by  a  detatch- 
ment  from  the  fort,  and  defeated,  with  great  slaughter. 

Forbes,  undismayed  by  this  disaster,  advanced  with  cau- 
tious and  steady  perseverance.  The  enemy,  observing  his 
circumspection,  determined  not  to  abide  the  event  of  a 
siege.  After  dismantling  the  fart,  they  retired  down  the 
Ohio,  to  their  settlements  on  the  Missisippi.  General 
Forbes,  taking  possession  of  the  place,  changed  its  name  to 
Pittsburgh. 

The  campaign  of  1750,  was  highly  honorable  to  the  Bri- 
tish arms.  Of  the  three  expeditions,  two  had  completely 
succeeded,  and  the  leader  of  the  third  had  made  an  impor- 
tant conquest.  To  the  commanding  talents  of  Pitt,  and  the 
confidence  \vhich  they  inspired,  this  change  of  fortune  must 
be  attributed  ;  and  in  no  respect  were  these  talents  moro 
strikingly  displayed,  than  in  the  choice  of  men  to  execute 
his  plans. 

Encouraged  by  the  events  of  this  year,  the  English  anti- 


M 


132 


FRENCH  WAR  OF   1756-63. 


1758. 


cipated  still  greater  success  in  the  campaign  which  was  to 
follow.  The  pliin  marked  out  by  the  minister,  whs  indica- 
tive of  the  boldness  and  energy  of  his  genius.  Three  dif- 
ferent armies  were,  at  the  same  time,  to  be  led  against  the 
three  slrougest  posts  of  the  French  in  America :  Niagara, 
Ticonderoj;-.!,  and  (<^iiebec.  The  latter  post  was  considered 
the  strongt^st ;  and  it  was  therefore  intended  that,  should 
Ticonderoga  be  cor»quered,  the  victorious  army  should 
press  forward  to  assist  in  its  reduction. 

In  the  beginning  of  July,  general  Prideaux  embarked  on 
lake  Ontario,  with  the  army  destined  against  Niagi  i,  and, 
on  the  sixth,  landed  about  three  miles  from  the  fori.  He 
immediately  commenced  a  siege,  in  the  progress  of  which 
he  was  killed,  by  the  bursting  of  a  shell.  The  command 
devolved  upon  sir  William  Johnson.  An  army  of  French 
and  Indians  approaching  soon  after,  he  detached  a  part  of 
his  forces  to  meet  them.  A  battle  ensued ;  the  English 
gained  the  victory,  vhich  was  followed  by  the  surrender 
of  the  fort. 

General  Amherst,  to  whom  w.as  assigned  the  expedition 
against  Ticonderoga,  found  so  many  dithcultiesto  surmount, 
that  he  was  unable  to  present  himself  before  that  place  un- 
til late  in  July.  It  was  immediately  abandoned  by  the  ene- 
my. The  British  general,  after  repairing  the  works,  pro- 
ceeded against  Crown  Point. 

On  his  approach,  this  was  also  deserted,  the  enemy  re- 
tiring to  the  Isle  Aux  Noix.  To  gain  possession  of  this  post, 
great  efforts  were  made,  and  mucli  time  consumed ;  but  a 
succession  of  storms  on  lake  Champlain,  prevented  success. 
General  Amherst  was  compelled  to  lead  back  his  army  to 
Crown  Point,  where  he  enc;imped  for  the  winter. 

The  expedition  against  Quebec,  was  the  most  daring  and 
important.  That  place,  strong  by  nature,  had  been  made 
still  stronger  by  art,  and  had  received  the  appropriate  ap- 
pellation of  the  Gibraltar  of  America.  Every  expedition 
against  it  had  failed.  It  was  now  commanded  by  Montcalm, 
an  officer  of  distinguished  reputation ;  and  an  attempt  to  re- 
duce it,  must  have  seemed  chimerical  to  any  one  but  Pitt. 

He  judged,  rightly,  that  the  boldest  and  most  dangerous 
enterprises  are  often  the  most  successful.  They  arou»e 
the  energies  of  man,  and  elevate  them  to  a  level  with  the 
dangers  and  difficulties  to  be  encountered,  especially  when 


,*y< 


1769. 


FRENCH  WAA  OF  1756->63. 


133 


committed  to  ardent  minds,  glowing  with  enthusiasm,  and 
emulous  of  glory. 

Such  a  mind  he  had  discovered  in  general  Wolfe,  whose 
conduct  at  Louisburgh  had  attracted  his  attention.  He  ap- 
pointed him  to  conduct  the  expedition,  and  gave  him  for  as- 
assistants,  brigadier  generals  Moncton,  Townshend,  and 
Murray ;  all,  like  himself,  young  Hud  ardent.  Early  in  the 
season,  he  sailed  from  Halifax,  with  eight  thousand  troops, 
und,  near  the  last  of  June,  landed  the  whole  army  on  the 
island  of  Orleans,  a  few  miles  below  Q,uebec. 

From  this  position  he  could  take  a  near  and  distinct  view 
of  the  obstacles  to  be  overcome.  These  were  so  great,  that 
that  even  the  bold  and  sanguine  Wolfe  perceived  more  to 
fear  than  to  hope.  In  a  letter  to  Mr.  Pitt,  written  before 
commencing  operations,  he  declared  that  he  saw  but  little 
prospect  of  reducing  the  place. 

Qtiejec  stands  on  the  north  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  and 
consists  of  an  upper  and  lower  town.  The  lower  town  lies 
between  the  river  and  a  bold  and  lofty  eminence,  which 
runs  parallel  to  it,  far  to  the  westward.  At  the  top  of  this 
eminence  is  a  plain,  upon  which  the  upper  town  is  situated. 

Below,  or  east  of  the  city,  is  the  river  St.  Charles,  whose 
channel  is  rough,  and  whose  banks  are  steep  and  broken. 
A  short  distance  farther  down,  is  the  river  Montmorency  ; 
aad  between  these  two  rivers,  and  reaching  from  one  to  the 
other,  was  encamped  the  French  army,  strongly  entrenched 
and  at  least  equal  in  number  to  that  of  the  English. 

General  Wolfe  took  possession  of  Point  Levi,  on  the 
bank  ^  .he  river  opposite  Q,uebec,  and  from  that  position 
canno.iaded  the  town.  Some  injury  was  done  to  the  houses, 
but  his  cannon  were  too  distant  to  make  any  impression 
upon  the  works  of  the  enemy.  He  resolved  to  quit  this  post, 
to  land  below  Montmorency,  and  passing  that  river,  to  at- 
tack the  French  genera*  K(  his  entrenchments. 

He  succeeded  in  landing  his  troops,  and,  with  a  portion 
of  his  army,  crossed  the  Montmorency.  A  partial  engage* 
ment  took  place,  in  which  the  French  obtained  the  advan- 
tage. Relinquishing  this  place,  he  then  determined,  in 
concert  with  the  admiral,  to  destroy  the  French  shipping 
and  magazines.  Two  attempts  were  unsuccessful ;  a  third 
was  more  fortunate,  yet  but  little  was  e£fected.  At  this 
juncture,  intelligence  arrived  that  Niagara  was  taken,  that 

12 


134 


FRENCH  WAR  OF  1766-63^ 


1759. 


Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point  had  been  abandoned,  but 
that  general  Amherst,  instead  of  pressing  forward  to  theii~ 
assistance,  was  preparing  to  attack  the  Isle  Aux  Noix. 

Wolfe  rejoiced  at  the  triumph  of  his  brethren  in  armS; 
but  could  not  avoid  contrasting  their  success  with  his  own 
ill  fortune.  His  mind,  alike  lofty  and  susceptible,  was  deep- 
ly  impressed  by  the  disasters  at  Montmorency  ;  and  the  ex- 
treme chagrin  of  his  spirits,  preying  upon  his  delicate  frame, 
sensibly  affected  his  health.  He  was  observed  frequently 
to  sigh  ;  and,  as  if  life  was  only  valuable  while  it  added  to 
bis  glory,  he  declared  to  his  intimate  friends,  that  he  would 
not  survive  the  disgrace  which  he  imagined  would  attend 
the  failure  of  his  enterprise. 

Despairing  of  success  below  the  town,  he  next  directed 
his  efforts  towards  effecting  a  landing  above  it.  He  re> 
moved  a  part  of  his  army  to  Point  Levi,  and  the  remainder 
higher  up  the  river.  He  now  found  that  on  this  quarter, 
the  fortitications  were  not  strong ;  and  discovered  that  the 
heights  behind  them  might  possibly  be  gained,  by  ascend 
ing  the  precipice  in  a  narrow  path,  which  was  defendeil 
only  by  a  captain's  guard. 

The  difficulties  attending  this  enterprise  were  numerous. 
The  current  was  rapid,  the  shore  shelving,  the  only  land- 
ing place  so  narrow  that  it  might  easily  be  missed  in  the 
dark,  and  the  steep  above,  such  as  troops  even  when  un- 
opposed, could  not  ascend  without  difhculty.  Yet  the  plan, 
though  bold  and  hazardous,  was  well  adapted  to  the  despe 
rate  situation  of  affairs,  and  was  determined  on. 

To  conceal  their  intention,  the  admiral  retired  several 
leagues  up  the  river.  During  the  evening,  a  strong  detach- 
ment was  put  on  board  the  boats,  and  moved  silently  down 
with  the  tide,  to  the  place  of  landing,  where  rhey  arrived 
an  hour  before  day  break.  Wolfe  leaped  on  shore,  was 
followed  by  the  troops,  and  all  instantly  began,  with  the  as- 
sistance of  shrubs  and  projecting  rocks,  to  climb  up  the 
precipice.  The  guard  was  dispersed,  and,  by  thfe  break 
of  day,  the  whole  army  gained  the  heights  of  Abraham, 
where  the  differe:tt  corps  were  formed  under  their  respec- 
tive leaders. 

Montcalm,  at  first,  could  not  believe  that  the  English  had 
ascended  the  heights.  When  convinced  of  the  fact,  he  com- 
prehended the  full  advantage  they  had  gained.  He  saw  that 


l« 


1759. 


FRENCH  WAR  OP  1756--63. 


m 


l! 


a  battle  was  inevitable,  and  prepared  for  i^.  with  prompt- 
ness and  courage.  Leaving  his  camp  at  Montmorency,  he 
advanced  towards  the  English  army,  which  was  formed  in 
order  of  battle  to  receive  him. 

The  French  advanced  briskly.  The  English  reserved 
their  tire  until  the  enemy  were  near,  and  then  gave  it  with 
decisive  effect.  Early  in  the  engagement,  Wolfe  was  wound- 
ed in  the  wrist,  but,  preserving  his  composure,  he  contin- 
tied  to  encourage  his  troops.  Soon  after,  he  received  a  ~ 
«hot  in  the  groin.  This  painful  wound  he  also  concealed, 
placed  himself  at  the  head  of  the  grenadiers,  and  was  lead- 
ing  them  to  charge,  when  he  received  a  third  and  mortal 
wound. 

Undismayed  by  the  fall  of  their  general,  the  English  con- 
tinued their  exertions  under  Moncton,  who,  in  a  short  time, 
was  himself  wounded,  and  the  command  devolved  upon 
Townshend.  About  the  same  time,  Montcalm  received  a 
mortal  wound,  and  the  second  .in  command  also^fell.  The 
left  wing  and  center  of  the  French  gave  way.  Part  were 
driven  into  Q,uebec,  and  part  over  the  river  St.  Charles. 

On  receiving  his  mortal  wound,  Wolfe  was  conveyed  into 
the  rear,  where,  careless  about  himself,  he  discovered,  in 
the  agonies  of  death,  the  most  anxious  solicitude  concerning 
the  fate  of  the  day.  From  extreme  faintness,  he  had  re- 
clined his  head  on  the  arm  of  an  officer,  but  wns  soon  aroused 
by  the  cry  of,  '♦  they  fly,  they  fly."  '*  Who  fly  ?"  ex- 
claimed the  dying  hero.  "  The  French,"  answered  his 
attendant.  "  Then,"  said  he,  "  I  die  contented,"  and  im- 
mediately expired.  A  death  so  glorious^,  and  attended  by 
^circumstances  so  interesting,  has  seldom  been  recorded  in 
iiistory. 

Five  days  after  the  battle,  the  city  surrendered,  and  re- 
ceived an  English  garrison.  The  French  concentrated 
their  remaining  forces  at  Montreal,  and,  early  in  the  spring, 
made  attempts  to  regain  possession  of  Q,iiebec.  Unsuccess- 
ful in  these,  they  returned  to  Montreal,  towards  which  the 
whole  British  force  in  America,  under  the  command  of 
general  Amherst,  was  approaching  This  force  was  too 
strong  to  be  resioted.  In  September,  1760,  that  city  sur- 
rendered, and  soon  after  all  the  French  posts  in  Canada 
fell  into  the  power  of  the  English. 

In  the  other  parts  of  the  world,  their  arms  were  equally 


136 


FRBSCB  WAR  OF  1766-63. 


1769, 


gnccMsfnl;  and,  at  the  commencement  of  1763,  a  peace. 
highly  advantageous  to  their  interests,  was  concluded  at 
Paris.  By  the  treaty,  France  ceded  to  Great  Britain  all 
her  northern  settlements  in  America,  <"'  :h  relieved  the 
colonies  from  the  continual  dread  of  savage  incursions. 


-rV-- 


CHAPTER  XV. 


REVOLUTION. 


L\  the  late  brilliant  contest,  England  had  made  unprece- 
ilcnted  exertions.  At  its  close,  she  found  that,  though  she 
had  encircled  her  name  with  glory,  and  added  extensive 
territories  to  her  empire,  she  had  increai^ed,  in  propor- 
tion, the  burdens  of  her  subjects,  having  added  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  millions  of  dollars  to  the  amount  of  her 
debt.  To  find  the  means  of  defraying  the  annual  charges 
of  this  debt,  and  her  other  increased  expenditures,  was  the 
thirst  and  difficult  task  of  her  legislators. 

Regard  for  their  own  interest  and  popularity,  impelled 
them  to  avoid,  if  possible,  imposing  the  whole  burden  upon 
themselves  and  their  fellow  subjects  at  home  ;  and  their 
thoughts  were  turned  to  the  colonies,  as  the  source  whence 
alleviation  and  asiiistance  might  be  derived.  On  their  ac- 
count, it  was  alleged,  the  contest  had  been  waged  ;  they 
would  share  the  advantages  of  its  glorious  termination,  and 
jtjstice  required  that  they  should  also  defray  a  portion  of 
the  expenses. 

To  adopt  this  expedient,  ihe  British  ministry  were  the 
more  naturally  led  by  the  opinion  which  all  the  European 
«overnme'  ts  entertained  of  the  relation  between  the  mo- 
ther country  and  her  colonies.  They  were  supposed  to  be 
dependent  on  her  will ;  their  inhabitants  a  distinct  and  sub- 
ordinate class  of  subjects,  and  their  interests  entirely  sub- 
servient to  her  aggrandizement  and  prosperity. 

Acting  upon  these  principles,  Great  Britain  had,  by  her 
laws  of  trade  and  navigation,  confined  the  commerce  of  the 
colonies  almost  wholly  to  herself.  To  encourage  her  own 
artizans,  she  had  even,  in  some  cases,  prohibited  the  es- 
tablishment of  manufactories  in  America.  These  restric- 
tions, while  they  increased  her  revenues  and  wealth,  greatly 
diminished  the  profits  of  the  trade  of  the  colonies,  and  een- 

12* 


138 


nBVOLVTION. 


17G'I. 


ibiy  impeded  their  internal  prosperity.  They  were  most 
injurious  to  New-England,  where  the  sterility  of  the  soil 
repelled  the  people  from  the  pursuits  of  agriculture  ;  there 
they  were  most  frequently  violated,  and  there  the  arbitra- 
ry mode  of  enforcing  them  b)r  writs  of  assistance,  awakened 
the  attention  of  a  proud  and  jealous  people  to  their  natural 
rights  ;  to  their  rights  as  English  subjects,  and  to  the  rights 
granted  and  secured  by  their  charters. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  year  1764,  the  British  parliament 
enacted  a  law  imposing  duties  upon  certain  articles  of  mer< 
chandise,  to  be  paid  in  the  colonial  ports.  Mr.  Grenville, 
the  prime  minister,  also  proposed  a  resolution,  **  that  it 
would  be  proper  to  charge  certain  stump  duties  on  the  colo- 
nies," but  postponed  the  consideration  of  that  subject  to  a 
future  session.  As  it  was  foreseen  that  the  law  would  be 
disregarded,  if  extraordinary  measures  were  not  adopted 
to  enforce  it,  provision  was  made  that  all  penalties  for  vio- 
lations of  it,  and  of  all  other  revenue  laws,  might  be  re- 
covered in  the  admiralty  courts.  The  judges  of  these  courts 
were  dependent  solely  on  the  king,  and  decided  the  causes 
brought  before  them,  without  the  intervention  of  a  jury. 

Intelligence  of  these  proceedings  occasioned,  in  Ameri- 
ca, great  and  univc.raal  alarm.  They  were  considered  tht 
commencement  of  a  system  of  taxation,  which,  if  not  vigor- 
ously resisted,  would,  in  time,  be  extended  to  every  artich 
of  commerce,  and  to  every  internal  source  of  income  ;  and 
if  the  colonists  could  be  deprived  in  one  class  of  causes, 
why  not  in  all,  of  that  inestimable  privilege,  the  trial  by 
Jury  ? 

The  general  court  of  Massachusetts,  at  their  session  in 
June,  took  this  law  into  consideration.      The  house  of  re 
presentatives  sent  a  spirited  letter  of  instructions  to  thcit 
agent  in  England,  in  which  they  denied  the  right  of  parlin 
ment  to  impose  duties  and  taxes  upon  the  people  who  art: 
not  represented  in  the  house  of  commons ;    and  directed 
him  to  remonstrate  against  the  duties  imposed,  and  the  stain{ 
act  in  contemplation.  They  also  acquainted  the  other  colo 
nies  with  the  instructions  they  had  given  to  their  agent,  and 
desired  their  concurrence  in  the  mode  of  opposition  adopt- 
ed.    In  the  course  of  the  year,  several  other  colonies,  par- 
ticularly New-York  and  Virginia,  remonstrated  in  respect 
ful,  but  decided  terms,  against  the  proceedings  of  parjiu 
ment. 


1704. 


REVOLUTION. 


139 


In  these  several  state  papers,  the  right  of  Great  Britain 
to  collect  a  tax  in  the  colonies,  was  explicitly  denied ;  and 
the  denial  was  supported  by  clear  and  powerful  arguments. 
It  was  stated  that  the  first  emigrants  came  to  America  with 
the  undoubted  consent  of  the  mother  country  ;  that  all  the 
expenses  of  removal,  of  purchasing  the  territory,  and,  for  a 
longtime,  of  protection  from  savage  warfare,  were  defrayed 
by  private  individuals,  except  in  the  single  instance  of  the 
settlement  of  Georgia :  that  charters,  under  the  great  seal, 
were  given  to  the  emigrants,  imparting  and  securing  to  them 
and  to  their  descendants,  all  the  rights  of  natural  born  Eng- 
lish subjects  ;  that  of  these  rights,  none  was  more  indispu- 
table, and  none  more  highly  valued,  than  that  no  subject 
could  be  deprived  of  his  property  but  by  his  own  consent, 
expressed  in  person  or  by  his  representatives ;  that  taxes 
were  but  grants,  by  the  representatives,  of  a  portion  of  his 
own  property,  and  of  that  of  those  who  had  authorized  him 
to  act  in  their  behalf.     Could  it  be  just,  it  was  asked,  that 
the  representatives  of  Englishmen  should  ^*  give  and  grant" 
the  property  of  Americans  ?     With  what  safety  to  the  colo- 
nies, could  the  right  of  taxing  them  be  confided  to  a  body 
of  men  three  thousand  miles  distant,  over  whom  they  had 
no  controll,  none  of  whom  could  be  acquainted  with  their 
situation  or  resources,  and  whose  interests  would  impel 
them  to  make  the  burdens  of  the  colonists  heavy,  that  their 
own  might  be  light  ? 

But,  besides  infringing  the  rights  of  freemen,  the  measure 
was  neither  equitable  nor  generous.  The  colonies  had  do- 
mestic governments  which  they  alone  supported  ;  in  the 
late  war,  their  exertions  had  been  greater,  in  proportion  to 
their  ability,  than  those  of  Englund  ;  they  also  had  con- 
tracted debts  which  they  must  themselves  pay  ;  the  taxes 
laid  by  many  of  the  assemblies,  were  higher  than  those  paid 
by  the  inhabitants  of  England  ;  if  the  war  had  been  waged 
on  their  account,  it  was  because,  as  colonies,  they  were 
beneficial  to  the  mother  country  ;  and  from  its  happy  ter- 
mination, they  derived  no  advantage  which  was  not  the 
source  of  ultimate  profit  to  her. 

Upon  men  who  entertained  the  strictest  notions  of  colo- 
nial dependence,  and  parliamentary  supremacy,  these  ar- 
guments had  little  effect.  The  minister  was  not  diverted 
from  his  purpose.     In  March,  1765,  he  laid  before  parlia- 


">!■ 


140 


HF,  VOLUTION, 


1765. 


inent  n  bill,  imposinji;  stamp  duties  on  certain  papers  and 
documents  uned  in  the  colonies.  At  the  tirst  reiutin^,  it  wns 
warmly  opposed  ;  by  sc  "^e  becuine  it  was  impobtic.  by  two 
only  because  it  \vas  a  violation  of  riu;ht. 

The  bill  was  supported  by  Charles  Towns  bend,  a  brii- 
liant  orator,  on  the  aide  of  the  ministry.  At  tlu'  conclusior* 
ofnn  animated  specv  •<  he  demanded  :  "  And  tliene  Ameri- 
cans, c  lildren  pbi  .1  our  care,  nourinbo:  by  our  in- 
dulgence, protect*  t)'  ir  arms,  until  they  nre  grown  to  a 
good  dogrne  of  strcngtti  and  opulence,  will  tbey  grudge  to 
contribute  their  mite  to  relieve  us  from  the  heavy  load  ol 
national  expense  which  we  lie  under  ?" 

Colonel  Rarrc,  immediately  risintr,  indignintly  and  elo- 
quently exclaimed  :  *'  Children  planted  by  yotn  cure !  No. 
Your  oppressions  planted  them  in  America.  Tlioy  tied  from 
your  tyranny  into  a  then  uncultivated  land,  where  they 
were  exposed  to  all  the  hardships  to  which  human  nature 
is  liable  ;  and  among  others,  to  the  cruelties  of  a  savage 
foe,  the  most  subtle,  and  I  will  take  upon  me  to  say,  the 
most  terrible,  that  ever  inhabited  any  part  of  God's  earth. 
Andyet,  actuated  by  principles  01  it  'j«  I'l;'-!"'*!!  liberty,  tiiey 
met  all  these  hardships  with  pleasure,  whenllii-v  compared 
them  with  those  they  suffered  in  their  own  country,  from 
men  who  should  have  been  their  friends. 

"  They  nourished  by  your  i)iduls;ence !  No.  They  grew 
by  your  neglect.  When  you  be!i;an  to  care  about  them,  (hal 
care  was  exercised  in  sending  persons  to  rule  over  them, 
who  were  the  deputies  of  some  deputy  sent  to  spy  out  thcii' 
liberty,  to  misrepresent  their  actions,  and  to  prey  upon 
them  ;  whose  behavior,  on  mnny  occasions,  has  caused  the 
blood  of  those  sons  of  liberiy  to  recoil  within  them  ;  men 
promoted  to  the  highest  seats  of  justice,  some  of  whom 
were  glad,  by  going  to  a  foreign  country,  to  escape  b<^iii;i, 
brought  to  the  bar  of  justice  in  their  own." 

"  They  protected  by  your  arms  !  They  haVe  nobly  taken 
up  arms  in  your  defence.  They  have  exerted  their  valor, 
amidsttheir  constant  and  laborious  industry,  for  the  defence 
of  a  country  which,  while  its  frontier  was  drenched  in 
blood,  has  yielded  all  its  little  savings  to  your  emolument. 
Beli^.ve  me,  and  remember  I  this  day  told  you  so,  the  same 
spirit  which  actuated  that  people  at  first,  still  continues 
with  them  ,*  but  prudence  forbids  mc  to  explain  myself  far- 
ther. 


1765. 


nEVOLUTIOIV. 


141 


«•  God  knows  I  do  not  at  this  time  spenk  from  pnrty  hent. 
However  superior  to  mo  in  genernl  kiioivk-dgo  tmd  expe- 
rience, Hny  one  here  mny  be,  I  chiim  to  know  more  ot 
AmeriCH,  hiiving  been  convorsnnt  in  that  country.  The 
people  there  are  truly  loyal  an  any  finbjectH  the  king  has  ; 
but  they  are  a  people  je  lous  of  their  lihertien,  niwl  will 
vindicate  them  if  t^ey  should  be  violiUed.  But  the  subject 
is  delicate  ;  I  will  say  no  more." 

Eloquence  and  argument  uvaiied  nothing.  The  hill  wae 
almost  unanimously  passed.  The  night  nfi«;r.  Doctor  Frank- 
lin, then  in  England  ns  agent  for  Pennsylvania,  wrote  to 
Charles  Thompson  :  "  The  sun  of  liberty  is  set ;  you  must 
light  up  the  candles  of  industry  and  oronomy."  "  Be  as- 
sured," said  Mr.  Thompson,  in  reply,  "  that  we  shall  light 
up  torches  of  quite  an  other  sort ;"  thus  predicting  ihe  com- 
motions which  followed. 

The  act  provided  that  all  contractit  and  legal  processev 
should  be  written  on  stamped  paper,  which  was  to  be  fur- 
nished, at  exorbitant  prices,  by  the  government,  or  should 
have  no  forcu  in  law.  Information  of  its  passage  was  re- 
ceived in  all  the  colonies  with  sorrow  and  dismay.  They 
saw  that  they  must  either  surrender,  without  a  struggle, 
their  darling  rights,  or  resist  the  government  of  a  naiion, 
which  they  had  been  accustomed  to  regard  with  filial  re- 
spect, and  was  then  the  most  powerful  in  the  world. 

The  general  assembly  of  Virgmia  were  in  session  when 
the  information  arrived.  Of  that  body,  Patrick  Henry,  a 
young  man,  but  a  distinguished  orator,  was  a  member.  Near 
the  close  of  the  session,  he  proposed  five  resolutions,  in 
the  first  four  of  which  were  asserted  the  various  rights  and 
privileges  claimed  by  the  colonists,  and,  in  the  fifth,  the 
rightof  parliament  to  tax  America,  was  boldly  and  explicitly 
denied.  These  he  defended  by  strong  reason  and  irresist- 
ible eloquence,  and  they  were  adopted  by  a  majority  of 
one. 

The  next  day.  in  his  absence,  the  iifth  resolution  was  re- 
scinded ;  but  that  and  the  others  had  gone  forth  to  the 
world,  and  imparted  higher  animation  to  the  friends  of  free- 
dom. They  were  a  signal  to  the  resolute  and  ardent ;  they 
gave  encouragement  to  the  timid  and  cautious  :  they  were 
industriously  but  privately  circulated  in  the  principal  cities, 
until  they  arrived  in  New-England,  where  the^'  vrere  fear< 
lessly  published  in  all  the  newspapers. 


#•■ 


142 


REVOLtTION*. 


1766. 


Nearly  at  the  same  time,  and  before  the  proceedings  of 
Virginia  were  known  in  Massachusetts,  her  general  court 
adopted  meaf)ures  to  procure  a  combined  opposition  to  the 
offensive  laws.  They  passed  a  resolve  proposing  that  a 
congress  of  delegates  from  the  several  colonies,  should  be 
held  at  New- York,  and  addressed  letters  to  the  other  as- 
semblies, earnestly  soliciting  their  concurrence. 

These  legislative  proceedings  took  place  in  May  and 
June,  1765.  They  were  the  moderate  and  dignified  ex- 
pression of  fr>elings,  which  animated,  in  a  more  intense  de- 
gree, a  great  majority  of  the  people.  In  New-England,  asso- 
ciations, for  the  purpose  of  resisting  the  law,  were  organized, 
assuming,  from  Barrels  speech,  the  appellation  of  "  sons  of 
liberty  ;"  pamphlets  were  published,  vindicating  the  rights 
of  the  colonies;  and  the  public  journals  ivere  tilled  with 
essays  pointing  out  the  danger  which  threatened  the  cause 
of  liberty,  and  encouraging  ahold  and  manly  resistance. 

Excited  by  these  publications,  a  multitude  assembled  in 
Boston,  on  the  14th  of  August,  burned  the  effigy  of  Andrew 
Oliver,  who  had  been  appointed  stamp-distributer,  and  de- 
molished a  building  which  they  supposed  he  hnd  erected 
for  his  office.  Fearful  of  farther  injury,  Mr.  Oliver  de- 
clared his  intention  to  resign,  when  the  people  desisted 
from  molesting  him. 

Several  days  afterwards,  a  mob  beset  the  house  of  Mr. 
Story,  an  officer  of  the  detested  admiralty  court.  They 
broke  his  windows,  destroyed  his  furniture,  and  burned  his 
papers.  They  then  proceeded  to  the  house  of  lieutenant- 
governor  Hutchinson,  by  whose  advice,  it  was  supposed, 
the  stamp  act  h«d  been  passed.  They  entered  it  by  force. 
Himself,  his  wife,  and  children  fled.  His  elegant  furniture 
was  carried  off  or  destroyed.  The  partitions  of  the  house 
were  broken  down,  and  the  next  morning  nothing  but  the 
bare  and  desolate  walls  remained. 

When  intelligence  of  these  proceedings  reached  New- 
port, in  Rhode  Island,  the  people  of  that  place  assembled 
and  committed  similar  outrages.  Two  houses  were  pillaged, 
and  the  stamp-distributer,  to  preserve  his  own,  was  obliged 
to  give  to  the  leader  of  the  exasperated  populace  a  written 
resignation  of  his  office.  In  Connecticut,  similar  commo- 
tions were  also  quieted  by  the  resignation  of  the  distributev 
of  stamps  for  that  colony. 


1766. 

iedings  of 
eral  court 
ion  to  the 
ing  that  a 
should  be 
other  as- 

I  May  and 
gnified  ck- 
intense  de- 
jland,  asso- 
'organized, 
)f  •»  sons  of 
g  the  rights 
5  filled  with 
sd  the  cause 
ssistance. 
ssembled  in 
^  ot  Andrew 
iter,  and  de- 
had  erected 
K  Oliver  de- 
iple  desisted 


1765. 


BEVOLtTION. 


eached  New- 
ce  assembled 
ve re  pillaged, 
,  was  obliged 
luce  a  written 
nilar  cotnmo- 
Ihc  distribulev 


In  New* York,  the  people  displayed  equal  spirit,  but  less 
turbulence  and  rage.  The  obnoxious  act  was  printed,  un^ 
■der  the  title  of  **  The  folly  of  England,  and  the  ruin  of 
America,"  and  thus  exhibited  for  sale  in  the  streets.  At  an 
early  period,  the  stamp-distributer  prudently  resigned  his 
office  ;  and  when  the  stamped  paper  arrived,  it  wag  depo- 
sited for  safe  keeping  in  the  fort.  A  mob  required  the  lieu- 
tenant-governor to  place  it  in  their  hands.  He  refused  ; 
but,  terrified  by  their  menaces,  consented  to  deliver  it  to 
the  magistrates,  who  deposited  it  in  the  city  hall.  Ten  boxes, 
which  afterwards  arrived,  were  seized  by  the  people,  and 
committed  to  tbe  flames. 

So  general  was  the  opposition  to  the  law,  that  the  stamp 
officers,  in  all  the  colonies,  were  compelled  to  resign.  In 
Boston,  care  was  taken,  on  the  one  hand,  to  prevent  the  re- 
C'lrrence  of  violent  proceedings,  and,  on  the  other,  to  keep 
in  full  vigor  the  spirit  of  resistance.  A  newspaper  was  es- 
tablished, having  for  its  device  a  snake  divided  into  as  many 
parts  as  there  were  colonies,  and  for  its  motto,  "join  or 
die."  Mr.  Oliver  was  required  to  resign  his  oflice,  with 
more  ceremony  and  solemnity,  under  a  large  elm,  which 
liad,  from  the  meetings  held  under  it,  received  the  name  of 
the  tree  of  liberty. 

In  October,  the  congress  recommended  by  Massachu- 
setts, convened  at  New-York.  Delegates  from  six  provinces 
only  were  present.  Their  tirst  act  was  a  Declaration  of 
Rights,  in  which  they  asserted,  that  the  colonies  were  en- 
titled to  all  the  rights  and  liberties  of  natural  born  subjects 
within  the  kingdom  of  Great  Britain,  the  most  essential  of 
which  were  the  exclusive  right  to  tax  themselves,  and  the 
privilege  of  trial  by  jury.  A  petition  to  the  kirg,  and  a  me- 
morial to  both  houses  of  parliament,  were  also  agreed  on  ; 
and  the  colonial  assemblies  were  advised  to  appoint  special 
agents  to  solicit,  in  concert,  a  redress  of  grievances.  To 
interest  the  people  of  England  in  the  cause  of  the  colonies, 
the  merchants  of  New-York  directed  their  correspondents, 
in  that  coimtry,  to  purchase  no  more  goods  until  the  stamp 
act  should  be  repealed.  Immediately  afler,  nonimportation 
agreements  were  adopted  in  the  other  colonies,  and  asso- 
ciations were  organized  for  the  encouragement  of  domestic 
manufactures.  To  avoid  the  necessity  of  stamps,  proceed- 
ings in  the  courts  of  justice  were  suspended,  and  disputes 
nere  settled  by  arbitration.  ^ 


m 

m 


144 


nEvoLUTioiSr. 


1766. 


In  the  mean  time,  an  entire  change  had  taken  place  in 
the  British  cabinet,  and  a  proposition  to  repeal  the  stamp 
act  was,  by  the  new  ministry,  laid  before  parliament.  An 
interesting  debate  ensued.  Mr.  Grenville,  the  late  prime 
mini;<ter,  declared,  that  to  repeal  the  act  under  existing  cir- 
cumsrHuces,  would  degrade  the  government,  and  encourage 
rebellion.  *'  When,"  he  demanded,  **  were  the  Ameri- 
cans emancipated  ?  By  what  law,  by  what  reason,  do  they 
ungratefully  claim  exemption  from  defraying  expenses  in- 
incurred  in  protecting  them  ?'^ 

William  Pitt,  he  who  had  wielded,  with  such  mighty  ef- 
fect, the  power  of  England,  in  the  late  war,  rose  to  reply. 
He  regretted  that  he  had  not  been  able  to  attend  in  his 
pVace,  and  oppose  the  law  on  its  passage.  "  It  is  now  an 
act  that  has  passed.  I  woald  speak  with  decency  of  every 
act  of  this  house  ;  but  I  must  beg  the  indulgence  of  this 
house  to  speak  of  it  with  freedom.  Assuredly  a  more  im- 
portant subject  never  engaged  your  attention  ;  that  subject 
only  excepted,  when,  nearly  a  century  ago,  it  was  the  ques- 
tion whether  you  yourselves  were  bond  or  free  ? 

♦'  Thof-e  V  \o  have  spoken  before  me,  with  so  much  ve- 
hemence, t  !  maintain  the  act  because  our  honor  de- 
mands it.  .  t"  c un  the  point  of  honor  stand  against  jus- 
tice, against  reason,  againi<t  right  ?  It  is  my  opinion  that 
England  has  no  right  to  tax  the  colonies.  At  the  same  time, 
I  assert  the  authority  of  this  kingdom  over  the  colonies  to 
be  sovereign  and  supreme,  in  every  circumstance  of  go- 
vernment and  legislation  whatsoever. 

"  Taxation  is  no  part  of  the  governing  or  legislative  pow- 
er. The  taxes  are  a  voluntary  gift  and  grant  of  the  com- 
mons alone ;  when,  therefore,  in  this  house,  we  give  and 
grant,  we  give  and  grant  tvhat  is  our  own.  But  in  an  Ameri- 
can tax,  what  do  we  do  ?  We,  your  majesty's  commons  of 
Great  Britain,  give  and  grant  to  your  majesty — what  ?  Our 
own  property  ?  No.  We  give  and  grant  to  your  majestjf 
the  property  of  your  commons  in  America.  It  is  an  absurdity 
in  terms. 

**  It  has  been  asked,  when  were  the  Americans  emanci- 
pated? But  I  desire  to  know  when  they  were  made 
slaves.  I  hear  it  said,  that  America  is  obstinate ;  Ame- 
rica is  almost  in  open  rebellion.  1  rejoice  that  America 
lias  resisted.    Three  millions  of  people,  so  dead  to  all 


1766. 


REVOtDTION. 


UL 


the  feelings  of  liberty  as  voluntarily  to  submit  to  be  slaves, 
would  have  been  fit  instruments  to  make  slaves  of  our- 
selves. 

"The  honorable  member  has  said,  for  he  is  fluent  in 
word«  of  bitterness,  that  America  is  ungrateful.  He  boasts 
of  his  bounties  towards  her.  But  are  not  these  bounties 
intended  finally  for  the  benefit  of  this  kingdom?  The 
profits  of  Great  Britain,  from  her  commerce  with  the 
colonies,  are  two  millions  a  year.  This  is  the  fund  that 
carried  you  triumphantly  through  the  last  war.  The 
estates  that  were  rented  at  two  thousand  pounds  a  year, 
seventy  years  ago,  are  at  three  thousand  pounds  at  pre- 
sent. You  owe  this  to  America.  This  is  the  price  she 
pays  you  for  protection. 

"  A  great  deal  has  been  said  without  doors,  and  more 
than  what  is  discreet,  of  the  power,  of  the  strength  of 
America.  In  a  good  cause,  on  a  sound  bottom,  the  force 
of  this  country  can  crush  America  to  atoms.  But  on  the 
ground  of  this  tax,  when  it  is  wished  to  prosecute  an 
evident  injustice,  I  am  one  who  will  lift  my  hands  and  my 
voice  as;ainst  it.  In  such  a  cause,  your  success  would  be 
deplorable  and  victory  hazardous.  America,  if  she  fell, 
would  fall  like  the  strong  man.  She  would  embrace  the 
pillars  of  the  state,  and  pull  down  the  constitution  along 
with  her." 

The  sentiments  of  this  great  statesman  prevailed  in  par- 
liament, 'i'lie  stamp  act  was  repealed  ;  but  another  act 
was  passed  declaring  that  "  the  legislature  of  Great  Bri- 
tain has  authority  to  make  laws  to  bind  the  colonies  in  all 
cases  whatever."  The  merchants  of  London  rejoiced  at 
this  repeal.  They  had  felt  the  effects  of  the  colonial  non- 
importation ngrecments,  and  dreaded  that  still  more  inju- 
rious consequences  would  follow. 

But  far  greater  were  the  rejoicings  of  the  Americans. 
They  had  obtained  the  object  for  which  they  had  con- 
(finded.  They  regarded  the  declaratory  act  as  the  mere 
reservation  of  wounded  pride,  and  welcomed  with  transport 
the  opportunity  of  ag;un  cherishing  their  former  affection 
lor  the  land  of  their  fathers.  The  assemblies  of  several 
colonies  voted  their  thanks  to  Mr.  Pitt,  and  to  others  in 
England,  who  had  supported  their  cause  ;  and  that  ofVir* 

13 


X 


146 


BEV0LVTI05. 


1767, 


ginia  resolved  to  erect  an  obelisk  to  their  honor,  and  a 
marble  statue  of  the  king,  an  a  memorial  of  gratitude. 

By  the  people  of  New-England  and  New-York  less  joy 
was  felt  and  less  gratitude  dis^played.  The  laws  imposing 
duties  on  their  trade  were  still  in  force.  The  courts  of 
admiralty,  sitting  without  juries,  still  retained  jurisdictioD 
of  all  revenue  causes.  Their  repeated  contests  with  their 
governors,  had  weakened  their  attachment  to  the  nation 
that  appointed  them,  and  conlirmed  their  republican  prin- 
ciples. They  still  remembered  the  past  and  entertained 
suspicions  of  the  future. 

The  very  next  year  events  occurred  which  justified 
these  suspicions.  A  law  of  parliament,  which  remained 
unrepealed,  directed  that  whenever  troops  should  be 
marched  into  any  of  the  colonies,  quarters,  rum,  and  vari- 
ous necessary  articles,  should  be  provided  for  them,  at  the 
expense  of  the  colony.  The  assembly  of  New- York  re- 
fused obedience  to  this  law,  considering  it  an  indirect 
mode  of  taxing  them  without  their  consent.  To  punish 
this  disobedience,  parliament  immediately  suspended  the 
authority  of  the  assembly.  It  was  easily  seen  that  nothing 
had  been  gained,  if  this  power  of  suspension,  for  such  a 
cause,  existed,  and  could  be  exercised  at  pleasure. 

The  alarm,  occasioned  by  this  act  of  despotic  power, 
was  increased  by  a  measure,  which,  under  the  auspices  ot 
anew  ministry,  was  adopted  in  June,  1767.  A  duty  was 
imposed  by  parhament  on  the  importation  into  the  colo- 
nies, of  glass,  tea,  and  other  enumerated  articles,  and  pro- 
vision was  made  for  the  appointment  of  commissioners  of 
the  customs  to  be  dependent  solely  on  the  crown. 

Early  in  the  next  year,  the  general  court  of  Massachu- 
setts, pursuing  the  same  course  as  in  1764,  addressed  a 
letter  to  their  agent  in  London,  containing  numerous  and 
able  arguments  against  those  duties,  and  requested  him  to 
communicate  the  letter  to  the  ministry.  They  also  sent  to 
the  other  colonial  assemblies,  a  circular  letter,  in  which 
those  arguments  were  repeated,  and  suggested  the  expe- 
diency of  acting  in  concert  in  all  endeavors  to  obtain  re- 
dress. 

These  proceedings  incensed  and  alarmed  the  ministry. 
.They  feared  that  a  union  of  the  colonies  would  give  them 
strength  and  confidence,  and  determined  if  possible  to  pre- 


1768. 


REVOLUTION. 


147 


vent  it.  They  instructed  Sir  John  Bernard,  then  governor 
of  Massachusetts,  to  require  the  general  court  to  rescind 
the  vote  directing  the  circular  letter  to  be  sent,  and  in  case 
of  refusal  to  dissolve  it.  The  governor  communicated 
these  instructions  to  the  house  of  representatives,  which, 
by  a  vote  of  ninety-two  to  seventeen,  refused  to  rescind, 
and  was  accordingly  dissolved. 

The  attempt  to  intimidate  did  but  strengthen  oppooition. 
The  non-importation  agreements,  which  had  been  lately 
abandoned,  were  renewed,  and  more  extensively  adopted. 
The  citizens  of  Boston  met,  and  proposed  that  a  conven- 
tion of  delegates  from  the  several  towns  in  the  province, 
ghould  be  held  at  that  place.  Nearly  every  town  accord- 
ingly sent  deles^ates.  This  convention,  though  it  dis- 
claimed all  legal  authority,  was  regarded  with  the  same 
respect  as  a  legitimate  assembly.  Its  proceedings  were 
unimportant,  but  by  its  segsiont:  in  the  metropolis  of  New- 
England,  the  people  became  accustomed  to  pay  deference 
to  a  body  of  men  deriving  all  their  authority  from  the  in- 
structions of  their  constituents. 

On  so  many  occasions  had  the  refractory  spirit  of  the 
citizens  of  Boston  been  displayed,  that  general  Gage,  who 
was  commander-in-chief  of  all  the  troops  in  'he  colonies, 
was  ordered  to  station  a  regiment  in  that  town,  as  well  to 
overawe  those  citizens,  as  to  protect  the  officers  of  the 
revenue  in  the  discharge  of  their  duty.  Before  the  order 
was  executed,  the  seizure  of  a  sloop  belonging  to  Mr.  Han- 
cock, a  popular  leader,  occasioned  a  riot,  in  which  those 
officers  were  insulted  and  beaten.  The  general,  on  re« 
ceiving  information  of  this  event,  sent  two  regiments  in- 
stead of  one,  and  on  the  first  of  October  they  arrived  in 
the  harbor. 

The  ships  that  brought  them,  taking  a  station  that  com- 
manded the  whole  town,  lay  with  their  broadsides  towards 
it,  ready  to  tire  should  resistance  be  attempted.  The 
troops,  with  loaded  muskets  and  fixed  bayonets,  then 
landed ;  and,  the  selectmen  having  refused  to  provide 
quarters,  they  took  possession  of  the  state-house.  All  the 
rooms,  exrept  one  reserved  for  the  council,  were  filled, 
iUid  two  pieces  of  cannon  were  placed  near  the  principal 
^intrance. 


148 


REVOLUTION. 


176a, 


With  indignant  and  exasperated  feelinp;8,  the  people 
witnessed  this  threatening  display  of  military  force.  They 
saw  the  hall  of  their  venerated  legislature  polluted  by  the 
tread  of  foreign  mercenaries.  They  saw  soldiers  parading 
their  streets  and  guards  mounted  at  the  corners.  They 
were  challenged  as  ihey  passed,  and  the  unwelcome  din 
of  miirtial  music  often  disturbed  their  repose.  They 
knew  that  intimidation  ivas  the  object,  and  felt  a  stronger 
determinalion  to  resist  than  had  before  animated  theii 
bosoms. 

Kesoiutions,  in  the  mean  t'  p,  ha''  been  adopted  in  par- 
liament, censuring,  in  the  strongc  rms,  the  conduct  u*^* 
the  people  of  Massachusetts,  and  dli  ng  the  governor  tv. 
make  strict  inquiry,  as  to  all  treasons  committed  in  that 
province,  since  the  year  1667,  in  order  that  the  persons 
most  active  in  committing  them  might  be  sent  to  England 
for  trial. 

These  resolutions  rendered  it  sufficiently  evident  that 
Great  Britain  had  determined  to  adhere  to  the  system  of 
measures  <the  had  adopted.  In  May,  they  were  t;iken  into 
consideration  by  the  house  of  bur>i;esse8  of  Virtr'nia.  In 
sundry  resolutions,  they  reasserted  the  riajht  of  the  colo- 
nies to  be  exempted  from  pailiamentnry  taxation,  and  de- 
clared that  seizing  persons  in  the  colonies,  suspected  of 
having  committed  crimes  therein,  and  sending  them  beyond 
sea  to  be  tried,  violated  the  rights  of  British  subjects,  as  it 
deprived  them  of  the  inestimable  right  of  being  tried  by  a 
jury  of  the  vicinage,  and  of  producing  witnesses  on  their 
trial. 

While  these  resolutions  were  under  discussion,  the 
house,  apprehensive  of  an  immediate  dissolution  should 
the  subject  of  their  deliberations  be  known  to  the  governor, 
closed  their  doors.  The  instant  they  were  opened,  a  mes- 
sage was  announced,  requesting  their  attendance  before 
him.  "Mr  Speaker,"  said  he,  "gentlemen  of  the  house 
of  burgesses.  1  have  heard  of  your  resolves,  and  angur  ill 
of  their  effects.  You  have  made  it  my  duty  to  dissolve 
you,  and  you  are  dissolved  accordingly." 

This,  like  every  previous  measure  of  intimidation,  ex^ 
cited,  to  a  still  higher  degree,  the  spirit  of  opposition. 
The  members  assembled  at  a  private  house,  elected  their 
speaker  to  preside  as  moderator,  and  unanimously  formed 


1769, 


1770. 


KEVOLUTION. 


149 


e  people 
B.  They 
ed  by  the 
)  parading 
•9.  They 
Icome  din 
!.  They 
a  stronger 
ated  theii 

ted  in  par- 
conduct  o*' 
roverncr  tv 
led  in  that 
he  persons 
to  England 

:>vident  that 
e  system  of 
e  t;iken  into 
irtrinia.  In 
of  tlie  colo- 
ion.  and  de- 
uspected  of 
hem  beyond 
iibjects,  as  it 
,g  tried  by  a 
jses  on  their 

oussion,  the 
ntion  should 
he  governor, 
ened,  a  mes- 
lance  before 
of  the  house 
and  augur  ill 
y  to  dissolve 

midation,  ex- 
f  opposition, 
elected  their 
ously  formed 


a  non-importatioD  agreement  similar  to  those  previously 
adopted  at  the  north.  In  a  few  weeks,  the  example  of 
\'irgiaia  was  followed  by  most  of  the  southern  colonies. 

To  the  citizens  of  Boston,  the  troops  quartered  among 
them  were  a  painful  and  irritating  spectacle.  Quarrels 
occurring  daily  between  them  and  the  populace,  increased 
the  animosity  of  each  to  ungovernable  hatred.  At  length, 
on  the  evening  of  the  fiflh  of  March,  an  affray  took  place 
in  King-street,  (since  called  State-street,)  in  which  a  de- 
tachment of  the  troops  commanded  by  captain  Preston, 
after  being  insulted,  pelted  with  snow  balls  and  dared  to 
Hre,  discharged  their  muskets  upon  the  multitude,  killing 
four  persons  and  wounding  others. 

The  drums  were  instantly  beat  to  arms,  several  thou- 
sand people  assembled,  who,  enraged  by  the  sight  of  the 
dead  bodies  of  their  fellow  citizens,  slain  in  a  cause  dear 
Co  them  all,  prepared  to  attack  a  larger  detachment  which 
had  been  sent  to  support  their  comrades.  In  this  state 
of  excitement,  they  were  addressed  by  lieutenant-governor 
Hutchinson,  who  appeared  in  the  midst  of  them.  Though 
personally  obnoxious,  he  calmed  their  fury,  and  prevailed 
upon  them  to  disperse  until  morning. 

The  next  day,  captain  Preston  and  his  pady  were  ar- 
rested and  committed  to  prison.  The  citizens  met  and  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  demand  the  immediate  removal 
of  the  troops  from  the  town.  At  this  meeting,  Samuel 
Adams,  an  inflexible  patriot,  was  distinguished  for  his  de- 
cision and  boldness.  After  some  hesitation,  on  the  part  of 
thA  commanding  officer,  they  were  sent  to  castle  William, 
and  were  accompanied  by  several  officers  of  the  customs 
who  dreaded  the  indignation  of  the  people. 

Three  days  afterwards,  the  funeral  of  the  deceased  took 
place.  It  was  conducted  with  great  pomp  and  unusual 
ceremonies,  expressive  of  the  public  feeling.  The  shops 
were  closed.  The  bells  of  Boston,  Roxbury,and  Charles- 
town  were  tolled.  Four  processions,  moving  from  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  town,  met  at  the  fatal  spot,  and  pro- 
ceeded thence  towards  the  place  of  interment.  This 
united  procession  comprised  an  immense  number  of  peo- 
ple on  foot  and  in  carriages,  all  displaying  the  deepest  grief 
and  indignation.  The  bodies  were  deposited  together  in 
the  same  vault.    -  - 

13* 


150 


REVOLUTION. 


1770. 


m 


When  the  passions  of  the  people  had  in  some  degree 
subsided,  captain  Preston  and  his  soldiers  were  bronght  to 
trial.  They  were  defended  by  John  Adams,  and  Josialt 
Qjuincy,  two  able  lawyers,  and  distinguished  leaders  of  thp 
popular  party.  For  nearly  six  weeks,  the  court  were  em- 
ployed in  examining  witnesses,  and  in  listening  to  the  argu- 
ments of  counsel.  Captain  Preston,  not  having  ordered 
his  men  to  fire,  was  acquitted  by  the  jury.  Of  the  sol- 
diers, six  were  also  acquitted,  there  being  no  positive  tes- 
timony that  they  fired  upon  the  people  ;  and  two  were  ac- 
quitted of  murder,  as  great  provocation  was  offered,  but 
K>und  guilty  of  manslaughter.-^A  result  evincing  the  in- 
tegrity of  the  jury  and  the  magnanimity  and  uprightness  of 
the  counsel  for  the  accused. 

While  these  events  were  occurring  in  the  colonies,  nn 
attempt,  supported  by  the  prime  minister,  was  made  in 
England,  to  repeal  all  the  lar/s  for  raising  a  revenue  in 
America.  The  parliament,  with  a  mixture  of  timidity  and 
obstinacy,  characteristic  of  the  councils  of  the  nation  at 
that  period,  relinquished  all  the  duties  but  that  on  tea,  and 
this  they  unwisely  retained  to  assert  and  display  their  sii^ 
premacy  over  the  colonies. 

This  par|ial  repe<il  produced  no  change  in  the  senti- 
ments of  the  people.  By  rendering  the  contest  more 
clearly  a  contest  of  principle,  it  sanctitied  their  conduct  in 
their  own  view  and  ennobled  it  in  that  of  the  world.  The 
non-importation  agreements,  however,  were  made  to  cor- 
respond with  the  altered  law.  Tea  only  was  to  be  ex- 
cluded from  the  country ;  and  this  article  of  luxury  was 
banished  from  the  tables  of  all  who  were  friendly  to  Ame- 
rican  rights.  i, 


» 


V 


CHAPTER  XVf. 


REVOLUTION. 


The  years  1771  and  1772  were  not  distinguished  by  any 
important  event.  The  southern  colonies,  rnoie  agricul- 
tural than  commercial,  suffered  but  little  from  the  opera- 
tion of  the  laws  of  trade,  and  having  mostly  popular  go- 
vernors, continued  tranquil  In  Massachusetts,  various 
causes  contributed,  to  increase  the  discontent  which  pre- 
viously existed.  Governor  Hutchinson,  having  adjourned 
the  general  court  to  Salem,  refused,  notwithstanding  reite- 
rated remonstrances,  to  permit  them  to  return  to  Boston. 
He  withdrew  the  provincial  troops  from  the  castle  and 
supplied  their  place  with  regulars,  as  the  British  troops 
were  then  c.dled.  lie  declined  receiving  his  salary  from 
the  colonial  treasury,  stating  that  his  majesty  had  assigned 
to  him,  and  also  to  the  judges,  permanent  and  honorable 
salaries,  to  be  paid  in  Great  Britain.  These  measures 
were  highly  unpopular,  and  especially  the  last  which  re- 
leased those  officers  from  all  dependence  on  the  people. 

To  ascertain  the  sentiments  of  the  inhabitants ;  to  en- 
lighten the  remotest  parts  of  the  province  by  diff'using  in- 
telligence, and  distributing  political  essays ;  and  to  pro- 
duce concert  in  measures,  James  Warren  and  Samuel 
Adams  suggested  and  procured  the  appointment,  in  every 
town,  of  committees  of  correspondence.  By  the  Jigency 
of  these,  resolutions  and  addresses,  sometimes  inflamma- 
tory and  always  spirited,  were  speedily  conveyed  through 
the  country,  arousing  the  attention  of  all  and  exhorting  to 
persererance  in  the  cause  of  liberty.  This  example  was 
soon  after  followed  in  other  colonies  ;  and  in  1 773,  at  the 
suggestion  of  the  Virginia  assembly,  standing  committees 
were  appointed,  by  the  colonial  legislatares,  to  correspond 


152 


hevoluti  )N. 


1773. 


with  each  ether.  This  institution,  when  more  active  op- 
position became  necessar)',  was  found  extremely  useful. 

Id  this  year,  Dr.  Franklin  obtained  in  London  a  numbei' 
of  original  letters  from  governor  Hutchinson,  lieutenant- 
governor  Oliver  and  others,  to  tbeir  correspondents  in  par- 
liament. In  these  letters,  the  opposition  in  Massachu- 
setts was  stated  to  be  confined  to  a  few  fiictious  individuals 
who  had  been  emboldened  by  the  weakness  of  the  means 
used  to  restrain  them.  Measures  more  vigorous  were 
recommended  :  and  the  ministry  were  urged  to  take  from 
the  people  and  exercise  themselves  the  power  of  appoint- 
ing counsellors  and  nil  colonial  magistrates.  These  letters 
he  transmitted  to  Boston. 

The  source  and  occasion  of  the  offens'vc  proceedings  of 
parliament  were  now  disclosed.  The  passions  of  the  peo- 
ple were  highly  inflamed,  and  the  weis;ht  of  popular  indig- 
nation fell  upon  the  authors  of  these  letter<9.  The  central 
committee  of  correspondence,  at  Boston,  sent  printed  co- 
pies, enclosed  in  a  spirited  circular,  to  all  the  towns  in  the 
province.  And  the  general  court,  in  several  resolutions 
which  were  also  published,  animadverted  with  severity 
upon  the  misrepresentations  and  advice  contained  in  the 
letters,  thus  increasing  the  irritation  which  their  discover; 
and  perusal  had  occasioned. 

Meanwhile  the  tea  of  the  East  India  company,  not  finding 
a  market  in  America,  accumulated  in  their  warehouses  in 
England.  Encouraged  by  the  government,  they  resolved 
to  export  it  on  their  own  account,  and  appointed  con- 
signees in  the  various  sea-ports  in  the  colonies.  Those 
in  Philadelphia  were  induced,  by  the  disapprobation  ex- 
pressed by  the  citizens,  to  decline  their  appointment.  In 
New-York,  spirited  handbills  were  circulated  menacing 
with  ruin  every  person  who  should  be  concerned  in  vend- 
ing tea,  and  requiring  the  pilots,  at  their  peril,  not  to  con- 
duct ships,  loaded  with  that  article,  into  the  harbor.  Inti- 
midated by  these  proceedings,  the  captain^  of  the  tea 
ships,  bound  to  those  ports,  returned  with  their  cargoes 
to  England. 

In  Boston,  inflammatory  handbills  were  also  circulated, 
and  meetings  held  ;  but  the  consignees,  being  mostly  rela- 
tives of  the  governor,  and  relying  on  hie  support,  refused 
to  decline  their  appointments.     Their  refusal  enraged  the 


1 773. 


REVOLUTION. 


153 


citizens,  and  the  community  becnme  agitated  by  tlie  opera- 
tion of  highly  excited  passions.  Meetings  were  more  fre- 
quently held  The  committees  of  correspondence  were 
every  where  active.  The  people  of  the  country  exhorted 
tlieir  brethren  in  Boston  to  act  worthy  of  their  former 
character,  worthy  of  "  Sons  of  Liberty,"  upon  whose  con- 
duct, in  the  present  emergency,  every  thing  depended. 

On  the  29th  of  November,  a  ship,  laden  with  tea,  came 
into  the  harbor.  Notifications  were  immediately  posted 
lip  inviting  every  friend  to  his  country  to  meet  forthwith 
and  concert  united  resistance  to  the  arbitrary  measures  of 
Britain.  A  crowded  meeting  was  held,  and  u  resolution 
adopted,  '*  that  the  te;i  should  not  be  landed,  that  no  duty 
should  be  paid,  and  that  it  should  be  sent  back  in  the  same 
vessel."  A'wUch  was  also  organized  to  prevent  it  from 
being  secretly  t)rought  on  shore. 

A  short  timo  was  then  allowed  for  the  captain  to  prepare 
to  return  home  with  his  cargo.  Governer  Hutchinson  refu- 
sed to  grant  him  the  requisite  permission  to  pass  the  castle. 
Other  vessels,  laden  with  tea,  arrived.  The  agitation 
increased,  md  on  the  1  !th  of  December,  tho  inhabirants  of 
Boston  and  the  adjoining  towns  asf^'mbled  tu  determine 
what  course  should  be  pursued.  At  this  important  meet- 
ing, Josiah  Quincy,  desirous  that  the  consequences  of  the 
measures  to  be  adopttul  should  be  first  seriously  contem- 
plated, thus  addressed  his  fellow  citizens. 

"It  is  not,  (Ml.  Moderator,  the  spirit  that  vapors  within 
these  walls  that  will  sustain  us  in  the  hour  of  need.  The 
proceedings  of  this  day  will  call  forth  events  which  will 
make  a  very  dilTerent  spirit  necessary  for  o^ir  salvation. 
Whoever  supposes  that  shouts  <ind  hosannaswill  terminate 
our  trials,  entertains  a  childish  fancy.  We  must  be  grossly 
ignorant  of  the  value  of  the  prize  for  which  we  contend ; 
we  must  be  equally  ignorant  of  the  power  of  those  who  have 
combined  against  us  ;  we  must  be  blind  to  that  inveterate 
malice  and  insatiable  revenge  which  actuate  our  enemies, 
abroad  and  in  our  bosom,  to  hope  that  we  shall  end  this 
controversy  without  the  sharpest  conflicts — or  to  flatter 
ourselves  that  popular  resolves,  popular  harangues,  and 
popular  acclamations,  will  vanquish  our  foes.  Let  us  con- 
sider the  issue  ;  let  us  look  to  the  end,  let  us  weigh  and  de- 
liberate, before  we  advance  to  those  measures  which  must 


idi 


nCVOLl/TIOIV. 


1774. 


bring  on  the  most  tr)'ing  and  terrible  struggle  this  country 
ever  mw." 

In  the  evening  the  question  was  put,  **  Do  you  abide  by 
2'our(brmer  resolution  to  prevent  the  landing  of  the  tea?" 
'rhe  vote  was  unanimous  in  the  atHrmative.  Application 
was  again  made  to  the  governor  for  a  pass.  After  a  short 
delay,  his  refusal  was  communicated  to  the  assembly.  In- 
stantly a  person,  disguised  like  an  Indian,  gave  the  warhoop 
from  the  gallery.  At  this  signal,  the  people  rushed  out  of 
the  house  and  hastened  to  the  wharves.  About  twenty  per- 
sons, in  the  dress  of  Mohawk.s,  boarded  the  vessels  and, 
protected  by  the  crowd  on  shore,  broke  open  three  hun- 
dred and  forty-two  chests  of  tea  and  emptied  their  contents 
into  the  ocean.  Their  purpose  accomplished,  the  multi- 
tude returned  without  tumult  to  their  habitations. 

These  proceedings  excited  the  anger  of  parliament  and 
the  displeasure  of  the  British  nation.  Punishment,  not 
a  change  of  measures,  was  resolved  upon.  An  act,  clo- 
sing the  port  of  Boston,  and  removing  the  custom  house 
to  Salem,  was  passed,  and  was  to  continue  in  force  until 
compensation  should  be  made  for  the  tea  destroyed ;  an- 
other act  was  passed,  taking  from  the  general  court  and  giv- 
ing to  the  crown  the  appointment  of  counsellors  ;  and  gene- 
ral Gage  was  made  governor  in  the  place  of  Mr.  Hutchinson. 

Intelligence  of  the  Boston  port  bill  occasioned  a  meeting 
of  the  citizens  of  the  town  ;  they  were  sensible  that  *Uhe 
most  trying  and  terrible  struggle"  was  indeed  now  ap- 
proaching, but  felt  unawed  by  its  terrors.  They  sought 
not  to  shelter  themselves  from  the  storm  by  submission, 
but  became  more  resolute  as  it  increased.  They  declared 
the  act  to  be  unjust  and  inhurpnn,  and  invited  their  breth- 
ren in  the  other  colonies  to  unite  with  them  in  a  general 
nonimportation  agreement. 

A  similar  spirit  pervaded  and  animated  the  wholn  coun- 
try. Addresses  from  the  adjacent  towns,  and  fro::'  p^ery 
part  of  the  continent,  were  sent  to  the  citizens  of  Boston , 
applauding  their  resolution,  exhorting  them  to  persever- 
ance, and  assuring  them  that  they  were  consii^'red  as  suf- 
fering in  H  common  cause.  In  Virginia,  fht  first  day  oj 
.Tune,  when  the  law  began  to  operate,  was  observed  as  a 
public  and  solemn  fast.  With  devout  feelings,  the  divine, 
interposition  was  implored,  in  all  the  churches,  to  avert  the 


1774. 


nCVOLUTION. 


155 


evils  of  civil  war,  and  to  give  to  the  people  one  heart  and 
one  mind,  firmly  to  oppose  every  invasion  of  their  liberty. 

The  name  day  was  observed,  with  similar  solemnity,  in 
most  of  the  other  colonies  ;  and  thus  an  opportunity  was 
presented  to  the  ministers  of  the  gospel  to  dispense  politi- 
cal instruction,  to  paint,  in  vivid  colors,  the  aufleriugs  of 
the  citizens  of  Boston,  and  to  warn  their  con)£regationt<^ 
that,  should  Great  Britain  succeed  in  her  schemes,  the  dan- 
ger to  their  religious  would  be  ns  great  as  to  their  civil  pri- 
vileges ;  that  a  tame  submission  to  the  will  of  parliament, 
would  inevitably  be  followed  by  bishops,  tithes,  teat  acts, 
and  ecclesiastical  tribunals. 

The  sutTerings  of  the  inhabitants  of  Boston  were  indeed 
severe.  Nearly  all  were  compelled  to  be  idle.  Many,  by 
loss  of  employment,  lost  their  sole  means  of  support.  In 
[h'.s  extremity,  contributions  in  money  and  provisions  were 
forwarded  to  them  from  all  the  colonies,  as  proofs  of  sym- 
pathy in  their  distresses,  and  of  approbation  of  their  having 
.net  an<<  mantuUy  withstood  the  first  shock  of  arbitrary 
power. 

Gi  tlually  and  constantly  had  the  minds  and  feelings  of 
the  Americans  been  preparing  for  this  important  crisis. 
J  hat  enthusiastic  patriotistm  which  elevates  the  soul  above 
nil  considerations  of  interest  or  danger  had  now  become 
tlieir  ruling  passion.  The  inhabitants  of  Salem  spurned 
advantages  to  be  derived  from  the  punishment  inflicted  on 
a  sister  town,  for  its  zeal  in  a  sacred  and  common  cause. 
"  We  must,"  said  they,  in  a  remonstrance  to  the  governor, 
'^be  dead  to  every  idea  of  justice,  lost  to  all  feelings  of  hu- 
manity; could  we  indulge  one  thought,  to  seize  on  wealth, 
and  raise  our  fortunes  from  the  ruin  of  our  sufiering  neigh> 
bors.'* 

In  June,  the  general  court  assembled  at  Salem,  and 
among  their  first  acts  were,  the  recommendation  of  a  con- 
tinental congress,  which  had  been  suggested  by  the  com- 
mittee of  correspondence  in  Virginia,  and  the  choice  of 
delegates  to  attend  it.  While  engaged,  with  closed  doors, 
in  this  business,  governor  Gage,  who  had  received  a  pri- 
vate intimation  of  their  purposes,  dissolved  the  court  by  a 
proclamation  which  was  read  upon  the  steps.  In  all  the 
other  colonies,  except  Georgia,  delegates  were  ,^lso 
chosen. 


156 


REVOLUTION. 


1774. 


On  the  5lh  of  September,  these  delegates  met  at  Phila- 
delphia. Peyton  Randolph,  of  Virginia,  was  unanimously 
elected  president,  and  Charles  Thompson,  secretary.  It 
was  determined  that  each  colony  should  have  but  one  vote, 
whatever  might  be  the  number  of  its  deputies,  and  that 
all  their  transactions,  except  such  as  they  might  resolve 
to  publish,  should  be  kept  inviolably  secret. 

Resolutions  were  then  adopted,  expressing  the  sym- 
pathy of  congi?s9  in  the  sufferings  of  their  countrymen  in 
Massachusetts,  and  highly  approving  the  wisdom  and  forti- 
tude of  their  conduct.  They  also  resolved  that  the  im* 
portation  of  goods  from  Great  Britain  should  cease  on  the 
first  day  of  the  succeeding  December,  and  all  exports  to 
that  country  on  the  1 0th  of  September,  1775,  unless  Ame- 
rican grievances  should  be  sooner  redressed.  These  re- 
solutions possessed  no  legal  force,  but  never  were  laws 
mere  faithfully  observed. 

In  other  resolutions,  they  enumerated  certain  right*. 
which,  as  men  and  English  subjects,  "  they  claimed,  de- 
manded, and  insisted  on  ;''  and  recounted  numerous  viola- 
tions of  those  rights  by  parliament.  Addresses  to  the  peo- 
ple of  Great  Britain,  to  the  inhabitants  of  Canada,  and  to 
their  constituents,  were  prepared  and  published  ;  and  an 
ufTectionate  petition  to  the  king  was  agreed  upon. 

In  these  able  and  important  state  paper  3,  the  claims, 
principles,  and  feelings  of  their  constituents  are  clearly 
and  eloquently  set  forth.  They  glow  with  -he  love  ol 
liberty,  they  display  a  determination,  too  firn>  io  be  shaken, 
to  defend  and  preserve  it  at  every  hazard ;  they  contain 
the  strongest  professions  of  attachment  to  the  mother 
country,  and  of  loyalty  to  the  king.  A  desire  of  indepen- 
dence is  expressly  disavowed.  "  Place  us,"  say  the  con- 
gress, *'inthe  situation  we  were  in,  at  the  close  of  the 
last  war,  and  our  former  harmony  will  be  restored.'" 
"  We  ask,"  say  they  in  their  petition,  «*  but  for  peace, 
liberty,  and  safety.  We  wish  not  a  diminution  of  the  pre- 
rogative, nor  do  we  solicit  the  grant  of  any  new  rij>;ht  in  our 
favoi^  Your  royal  authority  over  us,  and  our  c»nnexion 
with  Great  Britain,  we  shall  always  carefully  and  zealous- 
ly endeavor  to  support  and  maintain." 

These  papers,  going  forth  to  the  world,  made  the  cause 
of  the  colonies  known  throughout  Europe,  and  conciliated 


1774. 


REVOLWTIONAttY  WAR. 


157 


those  who  had  embraced  liberal  principles  in  politics,  or 
felt  displeasure  at  the  pride  and  haughtiness  of  Britain. 
Their  tone  of  manly  energy,  and  the  knowledge  they  dis- 
played of  political  science,  excited  universal  applause  and 
admiration. 

"When  your  Lordships,"  said  Mr.  Pitt,  in  the  British 
senate,  "  have  perused  the  papers  transmitted  to  us  from 
America ;  when  you  consider  the  dignit}',  the  firmness, 
and  the  wisdom,  with  which  the  Americans  have  acted, 
you  cannot  but  respect  their  cause.  History,  my  Lords, 
has  been  my  favorite  sludv  ;  and  in  the  celebrated  writ- 
ings of  antiquity  I  have  often  admired  the  patriotism  of 
Greece  and  Rome ;  but,  my  Lords,  I  must  declare  and 
avow,  that  in  the  master  states  of  the  world,  I  know  not 
the  people  nor  the  senate,  who,  in  such  a  complication  of 
difficult  circumstances,  can  stand  in  preference  to  the  de- 
legates  of  America  assembled  in  general  congress  at  Phila- 
delphia. I  trust  that  it  is  obvious  to  your  Lordships, 
that  ail  attempts  to  impose  servitude  upon  such  men,  to 
establish  despotism  over  such  a  mighty  continental  nation, 
must  be  vain,  must  be  futile." 

In  America,  the  proceedings  of  congress  were  read  with 
enthusiasm  and  veneration.  Their  reasonings  confirmed 
tlic  conviction,  strongly  felt  by  nearly  the  whole  people, 
of  the  perfect  justice  of  their  cause.  In  the  address  to 
themselves,  they  were  admonished  *'  to  extend  their  views 
io  mournful  events,  and  to  be  in  all  respects  prepared  for 
orery  contingency  "  Great  efforts  were  consequently 
made  to  provide  arms  and  all  the  munitions  of  war.  Inde- 
pendent companies  were  formed;  voluntary  trainings  were 
iVequent ;  the  old  and  the  young,  the  rich  and  the  poor 
devoted  their  hours  of  amusement  and  of  leisure,  to  ex- 
ercises calculated  to  fit  them  to  act  a  part  in  the  anticipated 
conflict.  The  country  was  alive  with  the  bustle  of  pre- 
paration, and,  in  every  countenance,  could  be  read  the  ex- 
pectation of  important  transactions  in  which  all  must  par- 
ticipate. 

Complete  unanimity,  however,  did  not  exist.  Some  of 
the  late  emigrants  from  England,  the  most  of  those  who 
held  offices  by  her  appointment,  many  whose  timidity 
magnified  her  power,  clung  to  her  authority,  and  as  the 
crisis  approached,  declared    themselves  her  adherents, 

14 


^^\'i 


158 


REVOLUTIONARV  WAR. 


1771. 


These  were  denominated  tories;  the  friends  of  liberty, 
whigs — names  by  which  the  advocates  of  arbitrary  power, 
and  the  friends  of  constitutional  liberty,  were  distinguished 
in  England. 

General  Gage,  who  had  been  recently  appointed  go- 
vernor of  Massachusetts,  withdrew,  from  other  posts  on 
the  continent,  several  regiments  of  troops,  and  encamped 
them  on  the  common,  in  Boston.  He  afterwards  erected 
fortifications  on  the  Neck,  a  narrow  isthmus  which  unites 
the  town  with  the  main  land  ;  and  on  the  night  of  the  first 
of  September,  he  seized  the  powder  deposited  in  the  pro- 
vincial arsenal  at  Canvbridge. 

The  people,  meanwhile,  were  not  idle.  They  appointed 
delegates  to  a  provincial  congress,  which  assembled  in  the 
beginning  of  October.  Mr.  Hancock  was  chosen  presi- 
dent,-and  the  delegates  resolved,  That,  for  the  defence  of 
the  province,  a  military  force,  to  consist  of  one  fourth  of 
the  militia,  should  be  organized  and  st^nd  ready  to  marcli 
at  a  minute's  warning ;  that  money  should  be  raised  to 
purchase  military  stores  ;  and  they  appointed  a  commit- 
tee of  supplies,  and  a  committee  of  safety,  to  sit  during 
the  recess. 

The  more  southern  provinces,  particularly  Pennsylva- 
nia, Virginia,  and  Maryland,  displayed  the  same  love  o4 
liberty  and  determination  to  resist ;  provincial  congresses 
were  convened,  committees  appointed,  and  res«lution>i 
passed,  designed  and  adapted  to  animate  those  who,  in 
Massachusetts,  stood  in  the  post  of  danger,  and  to  excite  in 
all  hearts  that  devotion  to  country  which  is  alone  capablr 
of  sustaining  a  people  in  an  arduous  struggle  with  a  supe- 
perior  foe. 

In  the  parliament  of  Great  Britain,  American  affrtir? 
came  on  to  be  discussed,  in  the  beginning  of  the  yciir 
1775.  Several  plans  of  conciliation  were  brought  for- 
ward by  the  opposition  and  rejected  ;  but  one,  proposed 
by  Lord  North,  the  prime  minister,  was  adopted.  The 
purport  of  it  was,  that  if  any  colony  would  engat^e  to  con- 
tribute a  sum  satisfactory  to  his  majesty,  for  the  common 
defence,  the  parliament  would  forbear  to  tax  that  colony, 
so  long  as  the  contribution  was  punctually  paid.  This 
plan  conceded  nothing.  To  weaken  the  colonies  by  di- 
viding them  was  so  evidently  the  object,  that  all  indig- 
nantly spurned  the  proffered  terms. 


ir75. 


hbvolutiohary  war. 


In  connexion  with  this  conciliatory  proposition,  as  it 
was  called,  measures  of  punishment  and  intimidation  were 
adopt''d.  The  northern  colonies  were  prohibited  from 
fishing  on  the  banks  of  Newfoundland,  additional  restric- 
tions were  imposed  upon  tl)e  trade  of  all  of  them,  and 
several  ships  of  the  line,  and  ten  thousand  troops,  were 
sent  to  America. 

In  the  debates  in  parliament,  the  friends  of  the  colonies, 
although  few,  were  animated  in  their  praise  and  eloquent 
in  their  defence.  The  adlu- rents  of  the  ministry  indulged 
in  the  grossest  abuse  and  ridicule.  The  Americans,  they 
siiid,  were  naturally  cowards,  habitually  lazy,  and  constitu- 
lionally  feeble;  they  were  incapable  of  discipline ;  and  a 
i-imiW  force  would  be  sufficient  to  conquer  them.  This 
ignorance  of  their  character,  which  was  general  through- 
out England,  doubtless  caused  the  ministry  to  persist  in 
measures  which,  had  their  information  been  correct,  they 
would  never  have  ventureti  to  undertake. 

On  the  evening  of  the  i8th  of  April,  general  Gage  des- 
patched from  Boston  a  body  of  eight  hundred  troops,  to 
destroy  a  quantity  of  }>rovisions  and  military  stores  depo- 
sited by  the  committee  of  supplies,  at  Concord.  Intelli- 
gence of  this  movement  was  sent  to  Lexington  and  Concord 
a  few  hours  before  the  trooiis  embarked.  The  ringing  of 
bells  and  the  tiring  of  signal  guns  brought  the  minute  men 
together.  Early  the  next  morning,  those  of  Lexington  as- 
sembled on  the  green  near  the  meeting-house.  A  few 
minutes  afterwards,  the  advanced  body  of  the  regulars  ap- 
proached within  musket  shot.  Major  Pitcaim,  riding  for- 
ward, exclaimed,  *'  Disperse,  you  rebels,  throw  down  your 
arms  and  disperse."  Not  being  instantly  obeyed,  he  dis- 
charged his  pistol  and  ordered  his  men  to  tire.  They  6red 
and  killed  several.  The  militia  dispersed  ;  but  the  firing 
continued.  In  the  whole,  eight  were  killed,  some  of 
whom  were  shot  in  their  concealment  behind  the  fences. 

The  detachment  proceeded  to  Concord.  The  minute 
men  of  that  town  had  also  assembled ;  but,  being  few  in 
number,  they  retired  on  the  appronch  of  the  regulars. 
These  entered  the  town  and  destroyed  the  provisions  and 
*lores.  The  minute  men  were  reinforced  and  advanced 
iigain  towards  the  regulars.  A  skirmish  ensued,  in  which 
raptain  Davis,  of  Acton,  was  killed.     The  British  troops 


IGO 


REVOLUTIONABV   WAR. 


1775. 


ivere  compelled  to  retreat,  leaving  behind  them  several 
killed  and  wounded. 

The  whole  country  was  now  in  arms,  and  the  troops  rc> 
treated  with  precipitation.  The  militia  not  only  pressed 
upon  their  rear,  but  placed  themselves  singly  behind  trees 
and  stone  walls,  and,  from  these  secure  coverts,  tired  upon 
them  as  they  passed.  At  Lexington  they  met  a  reinforce- 
ment under  Lord  Percy,  which  general  Giige  had  des- 
patched on  receiving  information  of  the  occurrences  there 
in  the  morning. 

After  resting  a  moment,  the  whole  body  proceeded  to- 
wards Boston.  In  their  progress  they  were  more  and 
more  harasi^ed  by  the  provinri  ils,  whose  number  hourly 
increased,  and  who  became  in  proportion  more  adventur- 
ous. Having  an  intimate  knowledge  of  all  the  roads,  they 
could  pursue  with  less  fatigue,  and  meet  the  enemy  unex- 
pectedly at  the  various  windings ;  and  being  all  expe- 
rienced marksmen,  their  shots  seldom  failed  of  effect.  At 
sunset,  the  regulars,  almost  overcome  with  fatigue,  passed 
along  Charlestown  Neck,  and  found,  on  Bunker's  Hill,  a 
place  of  security  and  repose. 

In  this  engagement,  sixty-tive  of  the  royal  forces  were 
killed,  one  hundred  and  eighty  wounded,  and  twenty-eight 
made  prisoners.^  Of  the  provincials,  tifty  were  killed, 
thirty-four  were*  wounded,  and  four  were  missing.  The 
killed  were  lamented  and  honored  as  the  lirs^  martyrs  in 
the  cause  of  liberty.  In  the  VJirious  sections  of  country 
from  which  they  came,  hatred  of  Great  Britain  took  stil) 
deeper  root ;  and  New-England,  connected  more  than  any 
other  part  of  the  world,  as  one  great  family,  by  the  closest 
intimacy  of  all  the  inhabitants,  universally  felt  the  depriva- 
tion  with  a  mixed  feeling  of  sorrow  and  rage. 

Intelligence  of  the  battle  of  Lexington  spread  rapidly 
through  Massachusetts,  and  the  adjoining  provinces.  The 
farmer  left  his  plough  in  the  furrow,  the  mechanic  dropped 
the  utensil  in  his  hand,  and  seizing  their  arms,  all  hastened 
to  the  environs  of  Boston.  In  a  few  days,  a  large  army 
was  assembled,  which,  under  the  command  of  general 
Ward,  of  Massachusetts,  and  general  Putnam,  ofConnecti- 
cut,  closely  invested  the  town,  and  alarmed  general  Gage 
for  the  safety  of  his  .garrison. 


TR        ' 


1775. 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


161 


In  the  remoter  provinces,  the  intelligence  was  consi- 
dered of  solemn  and  alarming  import.  The  great  drama 
was  opened,  and  the  part  which  each  should  take  must  im- 
mediately be  chosen.  By  many  a  resort  to  arms  had  never 
been  anticipated.  To  them,  the  decision  was  more  painful ; 
but  all  the  colonies,  except  Georgia,  adopted  at  once  the 
lieroic  resolution  to  unite  their  fortunes  with  those  of 
New-England. 

Connecticut  had  poured  forth  her  full  proportion  of 
hardy  yeomanry  to  man  the  lines  around  Boston  ;  but 
several,  who  remained  at  home,  conceived  the  project  of 
surprising  Ticonderoga,  a  fortified  post  on  the  western 
shore  of  lake  Champlain,  and  commanding  the  entrance 
into  Canada.  They  communicated  their  design  to  colonel 
Ethan  Allen,  of  Vermont,  who,  upon  their  arrival  at  Castle- 
ton  with  forty  men,  met  them  there  at  the  head  of  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty  Green  Mountain  boys.  The  next  day, 
rnptain  Benedict  Arnold,  of  Connecticut,  who,  upon  the 
first  alarm,  had  repaired  to  Boston,  arrived  from  that 
place,  having  conceived  the  same  project  and  been  autho- 
rized, by  the  committee  of  safety  in  Massachusetts,  to  un- 
dertake it. 

Allen  and  Arnold,  at  the  head  of  the  Green  Mountain 
I)oys,  hastened  to  Ticonderoga,  and  the  remainder  of  the 
p;irty  to  Skeensborougb.  On  the  night  of  the  ninth  of 
May,  about  eighty,  all  that  the  boats  could  carry,  crossed 
the  lake,  and,  at  dawn  of  day,  landed  near  the  fortress. 
They  advanced  to  the  gateway.  A  sentinel  snapped  bis 
fusee  at  colonel  Allen  and  retreated.  The  Americans,  fol- 
lowing, found  the  commander  in  bed.  Colonel  Allen  de- 
manded the  surrender  of  the  fort.  *♦  By  what  authority  do 
you  demand  it  ?"  "  In  the  name,"  replied  Allen,  "  of  the 
Great  Jehovaii  and  the  Continental  Congress."  The  Bri- 
tish ofhcer,  having  but  fifty  men,  saw  that  resistance  would 
be  vain,  and  agreed  to  surrender. 

When  the  remainder  of  the  party  arrived,  they  were 
despatched,  under  colonel  Selh  Warner,  to  take  possession 
of  Crown  Point ;  and  Arnold,  hastily  manning  a  schooner, 
sailed  to  capture  a  sloop  of  war  lying  at  the  outlet  of  the 
lake.  These  two  expeditions,  as  well  as  that  against 
SkeensboTOMsrb,  were  successful ;  and  thus  was  obtained, 
without  bloodshed,  the  command  of  those  important  posts, 

14* 


162 


REVOLITTIONARY  WAR. 


1770. 


together  with  more  than  one  himdred  pieces  of  cannon, 
and  other  niunitions  of  war.  The  unexpected  newn  oi' 
this  brilliant  success  imparted  higher  courage  and  anima- 
tion to  the  Americans. 

Most  of  the  militia,  who  had  repaired  to  Boston,  returned 
soon  after  to  their  homes,  but  a  sufficient-number  remain- 
ed, posted  near  the  Neck,  to  prevent  the  British  from 
leaving  the  town  by  land.  Between  detachments  from 
these  and  parties  of  regulars,  who  were  often  sent  to  col- 
lect forage  on  the  islands  in  the  harbor,  frequent  skirmishes 
took  place,  in  most  of  which  the  Americans  were  success- 
ful. 

In  the  beginning  of  June,  several  transports,  filled  with 
troops,  comn[ianded  by  generals  Howe,  Clinton,  and  Bur< 
goyne,  arrived  from  England,  and  general  Gage  began  to 
act  with  more  decision  and  vigor.  He  issued  a  proclamn- 
tion  declaring  those  in  arms,  and  all  who  aided  them,  rebels 
and  traitors,  and  threatened  to  punish  them  as  such,  unless 
they  immediately  returned  to  their  peaceful  occup<ations. 
He  promised  his  majesty's  pardon  to  all  who  should  in  this 
manner  give  proof  of  their  repentance  and  amendment,  ex- 
cepting Samuel  Adams  and  John  Hancock,  whose  crimes, 
he  alleged,  were  too  flagitious  to  admit  of  pardon. 

This  proclamation,  and  the  arrival  of  the  troops,  fat 
from  dismaying,  aroused  the  people  to  greater  activity  nnd 
watchfulness.  Again  the  militia  assembled  and  surrounded 
Boston.  Unwilling  to  endure  the  inconvenience  and  dis- 
grace of  this  confinement,  general  Gage  made  preparation 
to  penetrate,  with  a  portion  of  his  army,  into  the  country. 
To  prevent  this,  the  provincial  generals  resolved  to  occupy 
Bunker's  Hill,  an  eminence  in  Charlestown,  situated  on  n 
peninsula  that  approaches  near  to  Boston. 

On  the  evening  of  the  16th  of  June,  a  thousand  men, 
under  the  command  of  colonel  Prescot,  of  Massachusetts. 
colonel  Stark  from  New-Hampshire,  and  captain  Knowlton. 
from  Connecticut,  were  despatched  on  this  service.  They 
were  conducted,  by  mistake,  to  Breed's  Hill,  which  was 
nearer  to  the  water  and  to  Boston,  than  Bunker's.  At 
twelve  o'clock,  they  began  to  throw  up  entrenchments, 
and  by  dawn  of  day,  had  completed  a  redoubt  eight  rods 
square.  As  soon  as  they  were  discovered,  they  were  fired 
upon  from  a  ship  of  war  and  several  floating  batteries  lying 


1775. 


REVOLrTlONARY  WAR. 


iCiJ 


near,  and  from  a  fortification  in  Boston  opposite  the  rC' 
doubt.  The  Americans,  nevertheless,  encouraged  by 
general  Putnam,  who  often  visited  them  on  the  hill,  con- 
tinued to  labor  until  they  had  finished  a  slight  breastwork 
extending  from  the  redoubt  eastward  to  the  water.  And 
in  the  morning  they  received  a  reinforcement  of  five  hun- 
dred men. 

The  temerity  of  the  provincials  astonished  and  incensed 
general  Gage,  and  he  determined  to  drive  them  immediate- 
ly from  their  position.  About  noon,  a  body  of  three  thou- 
sand regulars,  commanded  by  general  Howe,  left  Boston  in 
boats,  and  landed  in  Charlestown,  at  the  extreme  point  of 
the  peninsula.  Generals  Clinton  and  Burgoyne  took  their 
station  on  an  eminence  in  Boston,  commanding  a  distinct 
view  of  the  hill.  The  spires  of  the  churches,  the  roofs 
of  the  houses,  and  all  the  heights  in  the  neighborhood 
were  covered  with  people,  waiting,  in  dreadful  anxiety,  to 
witness  the  approaching  battle. 

The  regulars,  forming  at  the  place  of  landing,  marched 
slowly  up  the  hill,  halting  frequently  to  allow  time  to  the 
artillery  to  demolish  the  works.  While  advancing,  the 
village  of  Charleslown,  containing  about  four  hundred 
houses,  was  set  on  fire  by  order  of  general  Ga*^**,  The 
flames  ascended  to  a  lofty  height,  presenting,  :t  sublime 
and  magnificent  spectacle.  The  Americans  reserved  their 
fire  until  the  British  were  within  ten  rods  of  the  redoubt; 
then,  taking  a  steady  aim,  they  began  a  furious  discharge. 
Entire  ranks  of  the  assailants  fell.  The  enemy  halted  and 
returned  the  fire ;  but  that  from  the  redoubt  continuing 
incessant  and  doing  great  execution,  they  retreated  in  haste 
and  disorderdown  the  hill,  some  even  taking  refuge  in  their 
boats. 

The  officers  were  seen  running  hither  and  thither,  col- 
lecting, arranging  and  addressing  their  men,  who  were  at 
length  induced  again  to  ascend  the  hill.  The  Americans 
now  reserved  their  fire  until  the  enemy  had  approached 
even  nearer  than  before,  when  a  tremenduous  volley  was 
at  once  poured  upon  them.  Terrified  by  the  carnage 
around  them,  they  again  retreated  with  precipitation,  and 
such  was  the  panic  that  general  Howe  was  left  almost 
alone  on  the  hill  side,  his  troops  having  deserted  him  and 
nearly  every  officer  around  him  being  killed. 


164 


RKVOLUTIOIfARV  WAR. 


1776. 


At  this  moment,  general  Clinton,  who  hnd  observed  from 
Boston  the  progress  ofthe  battle,  feeling  thut  British  honor 
was  at  stake,  hastened  with  n  reinforcement  to  the  assist* 
ance  of  his  countrymen,  hy  his  exertions,  the  troops  were 
«  third  time  rallied,  and  were  compelled  by  the  officers, 
who  marched  behind  them  with  drawn  swords,  to  advance 
ngain  towards  the  Americans.  The  fire  from  the  ^bips  and 
batteries  was  redoubled,  and  a  few  pieces  of  cannon  hnil 
been  so  placed  as  to  rake  the  interior  of  the  breast  work 
from  end  to  end. 

The  provincials,  having  expended  their  ammunition, 
awaited  in  silence  the  approach  ofthe  regulars.  The  lat> 
ter  entered  the  redoubt.  The  former,  having  no  bayonets, 
defiended  themselves,  for  a  short  time,  with  the  butt  end  of 
their  muskets.  From  this  unequal  contest  they  were  soon 
compelled  to  retire.  As  they  retreated  over  Charleptown 
Neck,  the  tire  from  the  floating  batteries  was  incessant ; 
but,  providentially,  a  few  only  were  killed.  The  enemy 
had  sustained  too  much  injury  to  think  of  pursuit. 

In  this  desperate  and  bloody  conflict,  the  royal  forces 
consisted,  as  has  been  stated,  of  three  thousand  men,  and 
the  provincials  of  but  fifteen  hundred.  Of  the  former, 
ten  hundred  and  tifiy-four  were  killed  and  wounded  ;  of  tho 
latter,  four  hundred  and  fifty-three.  This  disparity  of  los?. 
the  steadiness  and  bravery  displayed  by  their  recent,  un- 
disciplined levies,  occasioned  among  the  Americans  the 
highest  exultation,  and,  in  their  view,  more  than  counter* 
balanced  the  loss  of  position.  If  this  is  a  British  victory, 
Iiow  many  such  victories,  they  triumphantly  asked,  can  their 
army  achieve  without  ruin  ? 

But  deep  and  heart-felt  sorrow  was  intermingled  with 
their  rejoicings.  Among  the  killed,  was  doctor  VVarren,  i\ 
patriot,  who,  at  an  early  period,  had  espouged  with  warmth 
the  cause  of  freedom  ;  who  had  displayed  great  intrepedily 
in  several  skirmishes  ;  had  four  days  before  been  elected 
major  general  ;  and  had,  on  tlie  fatal  day,  hastened  to  the 
field  of  battle,  to  serve  his  country  as  a  volunteer.  For 
his  many  virtues,  his  elegant  manners,  his  generous  devo- 
tion to  his  country,  his  high  attainments  in  political  science, 
he  was  beloved  and  respected  by  his  republican  associates ; 
and  to  him  their  affections  pointed  as  a  future  leader,  in  a 
cause  dear  to  their  hearts,  and  intimately  connected  with 
their  glory. 


1776. 


REVOLtfTIONARY  WiR. 


165 


In  the  midst  of  these  military  transtictions,  a  continental 
congress  assembled  at  Philadelphia.  It  comprised  delegates 
from  twelve  colonies,  all  of  whom  were  animated  uith  a 
determined  spirit  of  opposition  to  parliamentary  taxation. 
A  majority,  however,  had  not  yet  formed  the  hardy  reso- 
lution to  separate  from  the  mother  country,  and  aim  at  in- 
dependence. The  measures  partook  of  the  opposite  feel- 
ings of  the  members.  Mr.  Hancock,  the  proscribed  patriot, 
was  chosen  president ;  they  resolved  that  another  humble 
petition  for  redress  of  grievances,  should  be  presented  to 
the  king;  but  they  also  resolved  that  means  of  defence 
should  be  immediately  prepared,  and  proceeded  to  the 
choice  of  officers  to  command  their  united  forces. 

To  induce  the  friends  of  liberty  in  the  southern  pro- 
vinces, to  embark  mure  warmly  in  the  cause  of  resistance, 
the  northern  delegates  determined  to  give  their  suffrages, 
for  a  commander-in-chief,  to  a  person  residing  in  that  quar- 
ter. P'ortunalely,  one  was  found  eminently  qualitied  for 
the  office.  By  unanimous  vote  of  the  congress,  George 
Washington,  Ihen  present  as  delegate  from  Virginia,  was 
elected.  He  had  served,  with  high  reputation,  in  the  late 
war  with  France ;  was  distinguished  in  his  native  pro? ince 
for  his  military  knowledge,  his  great  wealth,  the  dignity  of 
his  deportment,  his  unsuspected  integrity,  and  his  ardent 
attachment  to  the  interests  of  his  country. 

The  president,  addressing  him  in  his  seat,  announced  to 
him  the  choice  which  the  congress  had  made.  Washington 
declared  his  acceptance  with  a  diffidence  which  gave  to  his 
great  talents  a  briuhter  luster ;  and  assured  congress  that, 
as  no  pecuniary  compensation  could  have  tempted  him  to 
accept  the  office,  at  the  sacrifice  of  his  domestic  ease  and 
happiness,  he  would  receive  no  pay,  and  would  ask  only 
the  remuneration  of  his  *>xpenses.  Artemas  Ward,  Charles 
Lee,  Philip  Schuyler,  and  Israel  Putnam,  were  then  chosen 
major  generals,  and  Horatio  Gates  adjutant  general.  Lee 
had  lately  held  the  office  of  colonel,  and  Gates  that  of  ma- 
jor, in  the  British  army. 

Congress  also  resolved  that,  for  defraying  the  expenses 
which  might  be  incurred,  bills  of  credit,  or  paper  money, 
to  the  amount  of  three  millions  of  dollars,  should  be  issued, 
and  pledged  the  colonies  for  their  redemption.  A  solemn 
and  dignified  declaration,  setting  forth  the  causes  and  nc- 


166 


REVOLUTIONARV  WAR. 


1775. 


cessity  of  taking  up  arins,  wns  prepared  to  be  published  to 
the  army  in  orders,  and  to  the  people  from  the  pulpit.  Af- 
ter particulurizirig  the  uggreseions  of  Great  Britnin,  v^ith  thr 
energy  of  men  feeling  unmerited  injury,  they  cxclnim  : 

**  But  why  should  we  enumerate  our  injuries  in  detnil  ? 
By  onp  statute  it  is  declared  that  parliament  can  of  right 
make  l:uvs  to  bind  us  in  all  cases  whatsoever.  What  is  to 
defend  us  against  so  enormous,  so  unlimited  a  power  ?  Not 
n  single  man  of  those  who  assume  it,  was  chosen  by  us,  or 
is  subject  to  our  controll  or  influence ;  but,  on  the  contrary, 
they  are  all  of  them  exempt  from  the  operation  of  such 
laws,  and  an  American  revenue,  if  not  diverted  from  (he 
ostensible  purposes  for  which  it  is  raised,  would  sictualiy 
lighten  their  own  burdens,  in  proportion  as  it  increases 
ours.  We  saw  the  misery  to  which  such  despotism  would 
reduce  us.  We,  for  ten  years,  incessantly  and  ineffectually 
besieged  the  throne  as  supplicants ;  we  reasoned,  we  re- 
monstrated with  parliament  in  the  most  mild  and  decent 
language. 

•*  We  are  now  reduced  to  the  alternative  of  choosing  an 
unconditional  submission  tu  the  will  of  irritated  ministers, 
or  resistance  by  force.  The  latter  is  our  choice.  We  have 
counted  the  cost  of  this  content,  and  find  nothing  so  dread- 
ful as  voluntary  slavery.  Honor,  justice,  and  humanity,  for- 
bid us  tamely  to  surrender  that  freedom  which  we  received 
from  our  gallant  ancestors,  and  which  our  innocent  posteri- 
ty have  a  nght  to  receive  from  us.  We  cannot  endure  the 
infiimy  .md  guilt  of  resigning  succeeding  generations  to  that 
wretchedness  •.»  hich  inevitably  awaits  them  if  we  basely  en- 
tail hereditary  bondage  upon  them. 

•'  C^ur  cause  is  just ;  our  union  is  perfect.  Our  internal 
resources  are  great ;  and,  if  necessary,  foreign  assistance 
is  undoubtedly  attainable.  We  gratefully  acknowledge,  as 
a  signal  instance  of  the  divine  favor  towards  us,  that  his  pro- 
vidence would  not  permit  us  to  be  called  into  this  severe  con- 
troversy, until  we  were  grown  up  to  our  present  strength 
had  been  previously  exercised  in  warlike  operations,  anil 
possessed  the  means  of  defending  ourselves. 

'*  With  hearts  fortified  by  these  animating  reflections,  wc 
most  solemnly,  before  God  .ind  the  world,  deci.arr,  that 
exerting  the  utmost  energy  of  those  powers,  which  our  be- 
neficent Creator  hath  graciously  bestowed,  the  arms  wc 


1775. 


1776. 


nEVOLUTIONAIlY  WAR. 


167 


ublished  to 
pulpit.  Af- 
in,  with  the 
xclnim  : 
(  in  (letiiil  ? 
;nn  of  right 

What  is  to 
)wer  ?  Not 
in  by  us,  ov 
le  contrary . 
ion  of  Hicli 
ted  from  the 
luld  actually 

it  increases 
lotism  woulil 

ineffectually 
>ned,  v\e  re- 
I  and  dccciU 

f  choosing  an 
ed  ministers, 
ce.  We  have 
lint;  so  dread- 
lumanity.for- 
[■\  we  received 
|ocent  posteri- 
ot  endure  the 
.ations  to  that 
jwe  basely  en- 

Our  internal 
Bign  assistance 
[knowledge,  as 

?,  that  his  pro- 
lis  severe  con- 
jsentstrengtli 
[perations,  ami 

reflections,  wc 

Ideci.are,  that 

,  which  our  be- 

„  the  arms  ^'c 


have  been  compelled  by  our  enemies  to  assume,  we  will, 
in  defiance  of  every  hazard,  nith  unabnting  firmness  and 
perseverance,  employ  for  the  preservation  of  our  liberties, 
being,  with  one  mind,  resolved  to  die  freemen  rather  than 
to  live  slaves." 

Soon  after  his  election,  general  Washington,  accompa- 
nied by  general  Lee,  and  several  other  gentlemen,  set  out 
tor  the  camp  at  Cambridge.  In  every  place  through  which 
he  passed,  he  received  the  highest  honors.  A  committee 
(Vom  the  provincial  congress  of  Massachur^ett.^,  repaired  to 
Spriniriield,  to  meet  and  conduct  him  to  head-quarters, 
where  an  other  committee  presented  him  a  respectful  and 
afl'cctionate  address. 

He  found  the  army,  con^i^ting  of  fourteen  thousand  men, 
posted  on  the  heights  around  Boston,  forming  a  line  which 
extended  from  lloxbury  oi;  the  right,  to  the  river  Mystic 
on  the  left,  a  distance  of  twelve  miles.  The  troops  were 
ardently  devoted  to  the  cause  of  liberty,  but  destitute  of 
discipline,  averse  to  subordination,  without  powder,  with- 
out tents,  and  without  most  of  the  conveniences  usually 
provided  for  regular  armies. 

With  the  assistanceof  generalCJatosJieintroducedsome 
degree  of  regularity  and  system.  Several  barrels  of  pow- 
der were  obtained  from  New-.Tersey,  and  captain  Manly, 
commander  of  the  privateer,  Lee,  captured  an  ordnance 
ship,  containing  arms,  ammunition,  and  a  complete  assort- 
ment of  such  working  tools  as  were  most  needed  in  the 
American  camp.  This  providential  capture  was  followed 
by  others  which  supplied  the  most  pressing  wants  of  the 
army,  ^nabled  it  to  continue,  through  ihe  year,  the  blockade 
of  Boston,  and  contributed  greatly  to  distress  the  enemy. 
lor  whose  use  the  cargoes  were  destined. 

Events  occurring  this  year,  in  the  southern  colonies,  still 
farther  weakened  the  attachment  of  the  people  to  Great 
Britain.  In  Virginia,  Lord  Dnninore,  the  governor,  seized 
by  night,  some  powder  belonging  lo  the  colony,  and  con- 
veyed it  on  board  a  British  ship  in  James  river.  Intelli- 
gence of  this  transaction  reaching  l^atrick  Henry,  he  placed 
himself  at  the  head  of  the  indepen<Icnt  companies  in  his  vi- 
cinity, and  marched  towards  the  seat  of  government,  with 
the  avowed  purpose  of  obtaining,  by  force,  restitution  of 
the  powder,  or  its  value.     He  was  met  by  a  messenger. 


tw 


nEVOLUTIONARY  WAIl. 


1775. 


who  paid  him  the  value  of  the  powder,  when  he  and  the 
militin  returned  to  their  homes. 

Alarmed  by  this  dioplny  of  ipirit  and  patriotism,  Lord 
Dunmore  fortitied  his  pidace.  From  this  cattle,  he  issued 
a  proclamiition  charging  Henry  and  his  associates  with  re- 
bellious practices,  which  offended  the  people,  who  highly 
approved  their  conduct.  Other  causes  increasing  the  popu- 
lar ferment,  he  quitted  his  palace,  and  repaired  to  a  ship  ol 
war  then  lying  at  Vorktown. 

In  November,  he  is<>ued  another  proclamation,  offering 
freedom  to  those  slaves  belongine;  to  rebel  mas^ters,  who 
should  join  his  majesty's  troops  at  Yorktown.  Several  hun- 
dred, in  consequence,  repaired  to  that  place.  A  body  ol 
militia  immediately  assembled,  and,  while  posted  near  the 
city,  were  attacked,  with  great  bravery,  by  the  regulars, 
royali<4ts,  and  negroes.  The  mililia,  repelling  the  attack 
with  equal  bravery,  gained  a  decisive  victory.  Lord  Dun- 
mure  then  evacuated  the  citv,  and,  followed  by  his  white 
and  black  forces,  sought  refuge  on  board  the  ships  of  his 
majesty.  Soon  after,  Norfolk,  set  on  fire  by  his  order,  wib 
mostly  consumed,  and  its  destruction  was  completed  by  the 
provincials,  to  prevent  the  enemy  from  deriving  supplies 
trom  that  quarter. 

The  governor  of  North  Carolina,  following  the  example 
of  Lord  Dunmore,  fortified  his  palace  at  Newbern.  Tlii« 
caused  a  commotion  among  the  people,  which  induced  him 
to  retire  on  board  a  ship  in  the  harbor.  While  there,  he 
made  zealous  exertions  to  organize  a  party  in  favor  of  the 
royal  caui^e  ;  and  a  band  of  Scotch  Highlanders,  settled  in 
the  interior  country,  listened  to  his  persuasions.  On  their 
march  to  the  sea  coast,  they  were  met  by  a  parfy  of  mili- 
tia, who  attacked  and  dispersed  them.  This  early  victory 
secured  the  predominance  of*  tho  whiins,  and  crushed  tlie 
hopes  and  spirits  of  the  tories. 

South  Carolina  had  always,  with  great  unanimity  and/ciil. 
resisted  parliamentary  taxation  ;  and  soon  after  the  battle 
of  Lexington,  the  governor,  Lord  William  Campbell,  ap- 
prehensive of  danger  to  his  person,  retired  from  the  pro- 
vince. In  July,  Georgia  chose  delegates  to  the  continental 
congress,  increasing  to  thirteen  the  number  of  the  umted 

COLONIES.  ' 

The  province  of  Ne»v-York  contained  many  warm  advc- 


.a«^ 


1775. 


IlEVOf.UTIONAIlY  WAR. 


IGU 


catcs  for  freedom ;  but  its  capital  had  8o  long  been  the  head- 
qunrters  of  tho  British  nrm^  in  America,  that  many  of  the 
principal  inhabitimto,  having  contracted  intimate  relatiooa 
with  British  officers,  hud  become  devoted  to  the  royal  cause. 
The  assembly,  acting  under  their  influence,  declined  to 
choose  delegates  to  the  continental  congress  held  in  May, 
1775  ;  but  the  people,  a  majority  of  whom  were  actuated 
by  different  feelings,  elected  u  provincial  congress,  by  whom 
those  delegates  were  chosen. 

When  intelligence  of  the  battle  of  Lexington  reached  the 
city,  captain  Sears,  an  active  and  intrepid  leader  of  the 
'*  sons  of  liberty,*'  took  effectual  measures  to  prevent  vcs- 
ijels  bound  to  ports  in  America,  where  the  royal  cause  pre- 
vailed, from  sailing.  An  association  was  also  formed,  con> 
listing  of  one  thousand  of  the  principal  inhabitants,  who 
hound  themselves  to  assist  in  carrying  into  execution  what- 
ever measure  might  be  recommended,  by  the  continental 
congress,  to  prevent  the  execution  of  the  oppressive  acts 
of  the  British  parliament. 

The  ministry,  desirous  of  retaining  in  obedience  this  im- 
portant colony,  appointed  Mr.  Tryon,  to  be  governor  over 
it.  He  had  before  filled  the  same  office ;  was  a  man  of  ad- 
dress, and  greatly  beloved  by  the  people.  He  came  fully 
empowered  to  gain  adherents  by  dispensing  promises  and 
money  at  his  discretion.  The  success  of  his  intrigues  alarm- 
cti  congress,  who,  having  particular  reference  to  him,  re- 
commended that  "all  persons  whose  going  at  large  might 
endanger  the  liberties  of  America,  should  be  arrested  and 
secured."  Gaining  early  intelligence  of  this,  he  also  sought 
refuge  on  board  a  ship  in  the  harbor. 

Although  the  autumn  of  1775  was  not  distinguished  by 
any  brilliant  exploit,  yet  the  time  of  congress  and  of  the 
commander-in-chief,  was  not  unprofitably  employed.  Con- 
atant  attention  was  paid  to  the  discipline  of  the  troops  ;  ar- 
rangements were  made  to  obtain  a  supply  of  military  stores  j 
the  building  and  equipment  of  a  naval  force  was  commenced  ; 
two  expeditions  were  organized  and  despatched  against 
Canada,  one  by  the  way  of  lake  Champlain,  the  other  of 
the  rii'er  Kennebeck  ;  and  general  Lee,  with  twelve  hun- 
dred volunteers  from  Connecticut,  was  directed  to  repair 
to  New-York,  and,  with  the  aid  of  the  inhabitants,  fortify 
the  city  and  the  highlands. 

15 


170 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


17 


ij. 


'^- 
«??'*" 

.^' 


m 


The  abolition  of  all  legal  authority  in  the  colonies  nns 
an  evil  ibr  which,  though  less  than  had  been  anticipated,  it 
was  yet  expedient  to  provide  a  remedy.  New- Hampshire 
applied  to  congress  for  advice  on  this  subject.  A  favorable 
opportunity  was  thus  presented  to  the  zealous  patriots  in 
congress,  to  propose  a  remedy  for  the  evil,  which  should, 
at  the  same  time,  exhibit  in  practice  the  fundamental  prin- 
ciple of  their  political  creed  ^  that  all  legitimate  authority 
must  be  derived  f  om  the  people  ;  and  should  also  prepare 
the  way  for  their  darling  object,  a  declaration  of  inde- 
pendence. 

A  resolution  was  introduced,  recommending  that  a  con- 
vention of  representatives,  freely  elected  by  the  people  of 
that  colony,  should  be  called,  for  the  purpose  of  establish- 
ing such  a  form  of  government  as  they  might  deem  proper. 
It  was  warmly  opposed  by  those  members  who  were  yet  de- 
sirous of  an  accommodation  with  the  mother  country.  An 
amendment  being  made,  providing  that  the  government  es- 
tablished should  continue  in  force  no  longer  than  the  ex- 
isting contest  with  Great  Britain,  the  resolution  passed. 
Representatives  were  accordingly  chosen,  who,  on  the  6th 
of  January,  1776,  adopted  a  written  constitution,  acknow- 
ledging no  source  of  power  but  the  people.  In  other  colo- 
nies, the  same  course  was  soon  afterwards  pursued. 

A  transaction,  displaying  the  vindictive  feelings  of  the 
British,  occurred  in  October.  The  ministry  had  issued  or- 
ders to  the  officers  of  the  navy  to  proceed,  as  in  the  case 
of  actual  rebellion,  against  all  the  colonial  seaports  accessi- 
ble to  ships  of  war,  which  should  discover  symptoms  of  at- 
tachment to  the  cause  of  liberty.  Falmouth,  a  flourishing 
town  in  Massachusetts,  having  given  some  particular  of- 
fence, its  destruction,  under  color  of  these  orders,  was  re- 
solved on,  and  captain  Movvatt,  with  four  ships,  was  des- 
patched on  that  service. 

The  citizens  made  an  effort,  by  negotiation,  to  avert  their 
ruin  ;  but  as  the  terms  which  were  offered  could  not  be  ac- 
cepted without  dishonor,  they  were  at  once  rejected.  The 
bombardment  immediately  commenced,  the  town  wns  set 
on  fire,  and  four  hundred  buildings  reduced  to  ashes.  This 
wanton  act  of  devastation  was  strongly  reprobated  through- 
out America,  and  served  to  inflame,  rather  than  to  intimi- 
date, the  people.  The  town  has  since  been  rebuilt,  its  name 
changed  to  Portland,  and  it  is  now  the  capital  of  Maine. 


1775. 


REVOI>UTIOKAftY  WAR 


171 


As  the  year  1775  drew  near  to  a  close,  the  condition  of 
the  army,  employed  in  the  blockade  of  Boston,  enguged  the 
attention  of  congress.  A  speedy  adjustment  of  the  dispute 
being  at  first  expected,  the  men  had  been  enlisted  to  serve 
only  until  the  first  of  January.  No  prospect  now  appeared 
of  an  immediate  accommodation.  It  was  therefore  resolved 
to  form  a  new  army,  to  consist  of  twenty  thousand  men,  and 
to  be  raised,  as  far  as  practicable,  from  the  troops  then  in 
service.  Unfortunately  it  ivas  determined,  that  the  enlist- 
ments should  be  made  for  one  year  only,  an  error  the  con- 
sequences of  which  were  afterwards  very  severely  felt. 

It  was  supposed  that  most  of  those  whom  patriotism  had 
impelled  to  join  the  army,  would  continue  in  the  service  of 
their  country  ;  bul  when  the  experiment  was  made,  it  was 
found  that  their  ardor  had  considerably  abated.  The  block- 
ade of  Boston  presented  no  opportunity  of  acquiring  gloi-y, 
by  deeds  of  noble  daring ;  the  fatiguing  duties  of  the  camp 
wore  upon  thoir  spirits,  affected  their  health,  and  produced 
an  unconquerable  longing  to  revisit  their  homes.  Notwith- 
standing the  great  exertions  of  general  Washington,  no  more 
than  half  the  estimated  number  had  been  enlisted  at  the 
close  of  the  year. 

The  people  and  the  troops,  supposing  the  army  to  be 
stronger  than  it  was,  expressed  great  dissatisfaction  at  the 
inactivity  of  the  commander-in-chief,  which  some  imputed 
to  dishonorable  motives.  An  attack  upon  Boston  was  loudly 
demanded.  Washington  three  times  proposed  it  to  a  coun- 
cil of  war ;  but  in  every  instance  the  decision  was  unani- 
mous against  it.  At  the  last  time,  however,  the  council  re- 
commended that  the  town  should  be  more  closely  invested. 
On  the  evening  of  the  fourth  of  March,  1776,  the  attention 
of  the  enemy  being  diverted,  by  a  brisk  cannonade,  to  a  dif- 
ferent quarter,  a  party  of  troops,  under  the  command  of 
general  Thomas,  took  possession,  in  silence,  of  Dorchester 
heights,  and  with  almost  incredible  industry,  erected,  be- 
fore morning,  a  line  of  fortifications  which  commanded  the 
harbor  and  the  town. 

-The  view  of  these  works,  raised  like  an  exhalation  from 
the  earth,  excited  the  astonishment  of  general  Howe,  who, 
on  the  resignation  of  general  Gage,  had  been  appointed 
commander-in-chief.  He  saw  that  he  must  immediately 
dislodge  the  Americans  or  evacuate  the  town.     Th'^  next 


m. 


'^f- 


172 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


1775. 


UiiM 


day  he  ordered  aOOO  men  to  embark  in  boats  and  proceeded, 
b}'  way  of  Castle  Island,  to  attack  the  works  on  the  heights. 
A  furious  storm  di&persed  them ;  the  fortifications,  in  the 
mean  time,  were  rendered  too  strong  to  be  forced ;  and 
general  Howe  was  compelled  to  seek  safety  in  an  immediate 
departure  from  Boston. 

Of  the  determination  of  the'enemy  to  evacuate  the  town, 
general  Washington  was  soon  apprized.  The  event  be- 
ing certain,  he  did  not  wish  by  an  attack  to  hasten  it,  as 
the  fortitications  at  New- York,  to  which  place  he  pre- 
sumed they  would  repair,  were  not  in  sufficient  forwardness 
to  protect  it.  The  embarcation  was  made  on  the  17th  of 
March  ;  a  few  days  after  the  whole  fleet  set  sail,  and  the 
American  army  hastened,  by  divis^ions,  to  New-York. 

The  acquisition  of  this  important  town  occasioned 
great  and  general  rejoicing.  The  thanks  of  congress  were 
voted  to  general  Washington  and  his  troops,  for  their  wise 
and  spirited  conduct,  and  a  medal  of  gold  was  ordered  to 
be  struck  in  commemoriition  of  the  event.  The  Britisli 
fieet,  instead  of  conveying  the  troops  to  New-York,  steer- 
ed for  Halifax,  having  on  board  a  large  number  of  tories 
:md  their  baggage. 


■  -     ■*- 


i---  .:-",■ 


■■      -r     ••■ 


■  I  -y  ' 


V 


•* 
.» 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


EXPEDITION  AGAINST  CANADA. 


It  has  been  already  stated,  that  two  expeditions  were  des- 
patched against.  Canada.  The  command  of  that,  which  was 
to  proceed  by  way  of  lake  Champlain,  was  given  to  gene- 
ral Schuyler  of  New-York.  The  number  of  troops  to  be 
employed  was  fixed  at  three  thousand,  and  they  were  to  be 
drawn  from  New- York  and  New-£ngland.  Governor 
Carleton,  gaining  intelligence  of  the  project,  despatched 
about  eight  hundred  men  to  strengthen  the  works  at  St. 
Johns,  on  the  river  Sorel,  a  position  commanding  the  usuaV 
entrance  into  Canada. 

Brigadier  general  V  ^ntgomery,  a  young  officer  of  bril- 
liant talents,  and  ambii.^us  of  glory,  was  ordered  to  proceed 
in  advance,  with  the  troops,  then  in  readiness,  and  attack 
this  important  position,  before  it  had  been  made  too  strong 
to  be  taken.  When  commencing  his  career,  the  glory  and 
fate  of  Wolfe  were  present  to  his  thoughts,  and  to  his  wife 
his  parting  words  were,  "you  shall  never  blush  for  your 
Montgomery."  General  Schuyler  soon  followed,  and  on 
arriving  at  Isle  Aux  Noix,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  British 
works,  he  addressed  a  proclamation  to  the  Canadians,  ex- 
horting them  to  join  their  brethren  in  the  cause  of  freedom, 
and  declaring  that  the  American  army  came  as  friends  of 
the  inhabitants,  and  as  enemies  only  of  the  British  garrisons. 

The  fortification  at  St.  Johns  being  found  stronger  than 
was  anticipated,  general  Schuyler  returned  to  Albany  to 
hasten  the  departure  of  the  remaining  troops,  artillery,  and 
munitions  of  war.  He  was  prevented,  by  a  severe  illness, 
from  again  joiningthe  army,  and  the  chief  command  devolved 
upon  Montgomery.  On  receiving  a  reinforcement,  he  in- 
vested St  Johns  :  but  being  yet  almo.^t  destitute  of  battering 
cannon  and  of  powder,  he  made  no  progress  in  the  siege. 
And  the  soldiers,  carrying  with  them  into  the  field  that  at- 

.15* 


'0fL. 


174 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


177 


o. 


tachment  to  liberty,  and  equality  which  gave  birth  to  the 
contest,  displayed  such  utter  aversion  to  discipline  and 
subordination  as  increased,  in  a  great  degree,  his  difficul- 
ties and  vexations. 

Colonel  Allen,  the  hero  ofTiconderoga,  had  a  command 
under  Montgomery.  Having  been  despatched,  with  Major 
Brown,  into  the  interior  of  Canada,  he  was,  on  his  return, 
persuaded  by  the  latter  to  undertake  the  rash  project  of  at- 
tacking Montreal.  He  divided  his  detachment,  consisting 
of  less  than  three  hundred  men,  into  two  parties,  intending 
to  assail  the  city  at  opposite  points.  Major  Brown  was 
prevented  from  executing  his  part  of  the  enterprise.  Colo- 
nel Allen  and  his  small  party,  opposed  by  the  whole  force 
of  the  enemy  under  governor  Carleton,  fought  with  des- 
perate valor.  Many  were  killed ;  the  survivors,  over- 
powered by  numbers,  were  compelled  to  surrender.  The 
governor,  viewing  Allen,  not  as  the  intrepid  soldier,  but 
as  a  factious  rebel,  loaded  him  with  irons  and  sent  him  to 
England  for  trial. 

On  the  18th  of  October,  a  fortunate  event  brightened  the 
prospects  of  the  Americans.  Fort  Chamblee,  situated 
several  miles  north  of  St.  Johns,  was  supposed  to  be  be- 
yond their  reach,  and  was  but  slightly  guarded.  A  detach- 
ment under  majors  Brown  and  Livingston,  attacking  it  un- 
expectedly, gained  possession  of  it  with  little  loss.  Seve- 
ral pieces  of  cannon,  and  120  barrels  of  powder,  were  the 
fruits  of  the  victory.  The  Americans,  encouraged  bv 
success,  immediately,  in  defiance  of  the  continual  lire  of 
the  enemy,  erected  a  battery  near  fort  St.  Johns,  and  made 
preparations  for  a  severe  cannonade,  and  an  assault,  if  ne- 
cessary. 

At  this  juncture,  Montgomery  received  intelligence  of  an 
action  between  governor  Carleton  and  a  body  of  Green 
Moumain  boys  commanded  by  Colonel  Warner.  The  for- 
mer, elated  by  his  victory  over  Allen,  collected  about 
cighthundred  regulars,  militia  and  Indians,  with  the  view  ot 
raising  the  siege  of  St.  Johns.  In  full  confidence  of  success, 
they  left  Montreal,  embarked  in  boats,  and  proceeded  to- 
wards the  southern  shore  of  loe  St.  Lawrence.  In  the 
uushes  at  the  water's  edge  colonel  Warner,  having  receiveil 
information  oftheirpurpose,  concealed  three  hundred  men. 
who,  when  the  enemy  approached  the  shore,  poured  upon 


1776. 


REVOLUTrONAnY  WAR. 


175 


them  a  fire  so  unexpected  and  destructive,  that  the  flotilla 
returned,  in  confusion,  to  Montreal. 

On  the  first  of  November,  Montgomery  commenced  a 
heavy  cannonade  of  the  enemy's  works,  which  was  conti- 
nued through  the  day.  In  the  evening,  he  sent  to  the  Bri- 
tish commander,  by  one  of  governor  Carleton's  men,  who 
had  been  made  prisoner  by  colonel  Warner,  intelligence 
of  the  governor's  defeat,  and  demanded  the  surrender  of 
the  fort.  It  was  accordingly  surrendered,  and  the  next 
morning  entered  by  the  American  troops. 

Montgomery  hastened  to  Montreal,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  despatched  down  the  Sorel,  the  mouth  of  which  is 
below  that  city,  a  naval  force  to  prevent  the  escape  of  the 
British  to  Q,uebec.  Governor  Carleton,  believing  the 
city  not  tenable,  quitted  it  in  the  night,  and,  in  a  boat  witia 
muffled  oars,  was  conveyed  through  the  American  squa- 
dron. The  next  day,  general  Montgomery  entered  tke 
city,  and  although  no  terms  were  granted  to  the  inhsdn- 
tants,  he  treated  them  with  the  kindness  of  a  fellow  citi- 
zen, declaring  that  the  property,  rights,  and  religion  of 
every  individual  should  be  sacredly  respected. 

By  his  benevolence  and  address,  he  gained  the  affections 
of  the  Canadians,  many  of  whom  joined  his  standard. 
More,  however,  of  his  own  troops,  whose  term  of  enlist- 
ment had  expired,  insisted  on  returning  to  their  homes. 
So  dear  to  them  were  the  delights  of  the  domestic  fireside, 
and  so  vividly  were  they  recalled  to  memory  by  the  sever? 
duties  of  the  campaign,  that  the  high  character  of  the  com- 
mander, his  address,  his  entreaties,  availed  nothing  to  in- 
duce them  to  proceed  on  the  expedition.  With  the  rem- 
nant of  his  army,  consisting  of  no  more  than  three  hun 
dred  men,  he  began  his  march  towards  («i,uebec,  e«pe<t- 
ing  to  meet  there  an  other  body  of  troops  sent  to  act  in 
concert  with  him. 

These  troops  were  a  detachment  frmn  the  strmy  li^fore 
Boston,  consisting  of  one  thousand  men,  and  commanded 
by  colonel  Arnold  ;  who,  as  a  soldier,  wj««  adventurous, 
impetuous,  ;ind  fearless  ;  as  a  m*n,  overbearing,  avarici- 
ous, and  protliu;ate.  Tli^jr  route  l»y  along  the  coast  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Kennebec,  in  Maine,  th*'nce  up  that  river  to 
its  source,  and  thence,  over  lofty  mo'intains,  through  a 
wilderness  unexplored  by  civilized  oian,  to  the  river  fk. 


176 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


1776. 


n 


Lawrence.  They  were  unable  to  begin  their  march  be- 
fore  the  middle  of  September ;  on  the  22d,  they  embarked 
in  boats,  at  Gardner,  on  the  Kennebec,  and  proceeded  to 
ascend  that  river. 

They  found  the  current  rapid,  and  the  navigation  inter- 
rupted by  frequent  cataracts.  Around  these  they  were 
obliged  to  draw,  by  hand,  their  provisions,  arms,  and  even 
their  boats.  Nor  was  their  route  on  land  less  diflicult.  They 
had  deep  swamps  to  pass,  and  craggy  mountains  to  ascend. 
The  toil  was  so  incessant,  and  the  fatigue  so  great,  that 
many,  falling  sick,  were  sent  back,  and  along  with  these  the 
rear  division,  commanded  by  colonel  Enos,  returned  with- 
out the  knowledge  of  Arnold. 

Before  they  reached  the  height  of  land,  provisions  be- 
came scarce.  Dogs,  cartridge  boxes,  and  shoes  were  eaten. 

;j^e  summit,  the  whole  stock  was  divided  equally  among 
i,  each  receiving  but  two  quarts  of  flour  as  his  portion. 

ite  order  of  march  was  no  longer  observed.  The  soldiers 

ire  directed  to  proceed  singly,  or  by  companies,  as  they 
noight  choose,  slowly  or  with  speed,  as  they  were  able,  to 
the  nearest  Canadian  settlement,  then  one  hundred  miles 
distant.  When  the  company,  whose  superior  strength  en- 
abled them  to  keep  in  advance,  were  thirty  miles  from  any 
human  habitation,  the  last  morsel  of  food  had  been  con- 
sumed. 

In  this  extremity,  Arnold,  with  a  few  of  the  most  vigor- 
ous, made  a  forced  march  to  the  first  village,  and  returned 
to  his  almost  famished  companions,  with  food  sufficient  to 
satisfy  the  tirst  wants  of  nature.  Refreshed  and  strength- 
ened, they  hastened  forward,  and,  on  the  fourth  of  Novem- 
ber, arrived  at  the  French  settlements  on  the  river  Chau- 
diere,  having  been  thirty-tv/o  days  without  seeing  the  abodes 
of  civilized  man ;  and  having,  in  that  time,  performed  a 
march  unexampled  for  its  temerity  and  hardship. 

The  inhabitants  welcomed  them  with  cordial  hospitality. 
Though  separated,  in  a  great  measure,  from  the  world,  they 
had  heard  of  the  dispute  between  Great  Britain  and  her 
colonies,  and  as  the  very  name  of  liberty  is  dear  to  the 
heart  of  man,  their  sympathies  were  all  enlisted  on  the  side 
of  the  latter.  Arnold  distributed  proclamations  among  them 
similar  to  those  issued  by  general  Schuyler.  As  soon  as 
the  scattered  soldiers  were  assembled >  he  continued  his 


1775. 


nFVOI.UTIONARV  WAR. 


177 


inarch,  and,  on  the  ninth  of  November,  arrived  at  Point 
Levi,  opposite  Q,uebec. 

Nothing  could  exceed  the  surprise  and  astonishment  of 
the  citizens  on  seeing  a  body  of  hostile  troops,  emigrating 
from  the  southern  wilderness.  Had  Arnold,  at  this  moment 
of  panic,  been  able  to  cross  the  river,  the  city  must  have 
fallen  an  easy  conquest ,  but  boats  were  not  at  hand,  and  n 
furious  storm,  occurring  at  the  time,  rendered  crossingim- 
possible. 

Having  procured  boats,  and  the  storm  having  abated,  he 
crossed  the  river  on  the  night  of  the  13th,  and  landed  near 
the  place  where  Wolfe  had  landed  in  the  preceding  war. 
Mounting  the  same  steep  ascent,  he  formed  his  troops  on 
the  plains  of  Abraham,  and  marched  towards  the  city.  Con- 
vinced, by  a  cannonade  from  the  walls,  that  the  garrison  were 
ready  to  receive  him,  he  returned,  encamped  on  the  plaij 
and  on  the  18th  marched  to  Point  Aux  Trembles,  tw( 
miles  from  Quebec,  where  he  determined  to  await  the 
rival  of  Montgomery. 

He  came  on  the  first  of  December.  How  great  was  tl 
jov,  and  how  lively  the  gratulations,  they  only  can  imagine,^ 
wno,  after  long  absence  and  suffering,  have  met,  in  a  fo- 
reign land,  their  friends  and  former  companions.  Arnold's 
troops  had,  indeed,  great  cause  of  rejoicing.  They  were 
entirely  destitute  of  winter  clothing,  and  had  endured  ex- 
treme distress  from  the  severity  of  the  cold.  Montgomery 
had  brought  a  supply  from  Montreal,  which  he  immediately 
distributed  among  them. 

Their  united  force  amounted  to  no  more  than  nine  hun- 
dred effective  men.  On  the  fifth,  the  general,  at  the  head 
of  these,  appeared  before  the  city,  and  sent  a  flag  with  a 
summons  to  surrender.  The  delay  which  had  taken  place, 
had  enabled  governor  Carleto-^  to  increase  the  strength  of 
the  works,  and  to  change  the  sentiments  of  the  citizens  from 
friendship  for  the  Americans,  to  hostility.  He  ordered  his 
troops  to  fire  upon  the  bearer  of  the  flag. 

Montgomery  soon  discovered  the  defection  of  his  friends, 
and  perceived  that  he  must  depend  upon  his  own  force  alone 
for  the  accomplishment  of  his  object.  When  he  compared 
this  force  with  that  of  the  enemy,  who  were  fifteen  hundred 
strong;  when  he  reflected  that  his  troops  were  recent 
levies,  whose  term  was  nearly  expired,  and  whose  thoughts 


,«• 


170 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


1775. 


were  fixed  upon  their  homea,  his  hopea  of  success  became 
faiut,  and  his  forebodings  gloomy.  He  believed,  however, 
that  success  was  possible,  and  his  high  sense  of  honor  and 
of  d'uty,  impelled  him  to  hazard  every  thing  to  obtain  it  for 
his  country. 

He  tirst  determined  to  batter  the  walls,  and  harass  the 
city,  by  repeated  and  furious  attacks,  hoping  that  an  oppor- 
tunity might occurofstrikingsome  decisive  blow.  He  raised 
a  mound,  composed  of  snow  and  water,  which  soon  became 
ice,  and  there  planted  his  cannons,  six  only  in  number. 
AAer  a  short  trial,  they  were  found  inadequate,  and  this 
plan  was  abandoned. 

Meanwhile,  the  snow  fell  incessantly  ;  the  cold  became 
intense,  and  the  sufferings  of  the  troops,  from  the  rigor  of 
the  season,  and  their  continual  toil,  surpassed  all  that  they 
"  id  ever  before  felt,  or  witnessed,  or  imagined.  To  increase 

iir  distress,  the  small  pox  broke  out  in  the  camp,  pie- 

iting  death  in  a  new  shape,  and  adding  to  the  severity  of 
ieir  labors,  by  lessening  the  number  to  bear  them.  In  the 
lidst  of  these  trials,  their  attachment  to  the  cause,  and  de- 
votion to  their  commarider  remained  unabated  ;  but  these, 
he  reflected,  must  soon  give  way  before  such  severe  and 
constant  8u£fering ;  and  for  himself,  he  determined  to  make 
immediately  a  bold  and  desperate  effort. 

Assembling  his  officers,  be  proposed  to  storm  the  city. 
He  placed  before  them  the  motives  which  operated  upon 
bis  own  mind.  He  did  not  deny  that  the  enterprise  was 
highly  difficult  and  dangerous,  but  maintained  that  success 
was  possible.  He  addressed  a  band  of  heroes  whose  sen- 
timents were  congenial  with  his  own,  and  the  decision  was 
unanimous  in  favor  of  his  proposition.  The  plan  and  time 
of  attack  were  concerted,  and  to  each  officer  was  assigned 
his  particular  duty. 

On  the  last  day  of  December,  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, while  a  violent  storm  was  raging,  the  troops  marched 
from  the  camp  in  four  columns,  commanded  by  Montgomery, 
Arnold,  Livingston,  and  Brown.  The  two  latter  were  di- 
rected to  make  feigned  attacks  upon  the  upper  town,  in  or- 
der to  distract  the  attention  of  the  garrison  ;  while  the  two 
former  proceeded  to  assault  the  lower  town  at  opposite 
points. 

Livingston  and  Brown,  impeded  by  the  snow,  did  notar- 


1775. 


REVOLUTIONAUY  WAR. 


179 


rive  in  senson  to  execute  their  feints.  Montgomery,  ad- 
vancing, nt  the  head  of  his  column,  along  the  bank  of  the 
river,  came  to  a  barrier  or  stockade  of  strong  posts.  Two 
of  these  he  sawed  oiTwith  his  own  hands.  The  guard  within 
were  alarmed,  and  fled  to  a  block-house,  fii\y  yards  distant, 
where  several  pieces  of  cannon  were  stationed.  He  passed 
through  the  opening  in  the  barrior,  encouraging  his  men  to 
(dIIow.  The  troops  at  the  block-house,  to  whom  the  guard 
iind  communicated  their  terror,  began  to  desert  it. 

At  this  moment  Montgomery  halted,  to  allow  the  troops 
near  him  to  form  in  a  body.  Observing  this  delay,  a  Cana- 
dian, who  lingered  behind,  returned  to  the  block-house, 
seized  a  match  which  was  burning,  and  discharged  a  cannon 
loaded  with  grape  shot,  and  fortuitously  pointed  at  the  little 
bund.  The  discharge  was  instantly  fatal  to  Montgomery, 
nnd  to  several  favorite  officers  standing  around  him.  The 
men,  seeing  their  beloved  leader  fall,  shrunk  back ;  colonel 
Campbell,  the  next  in  command,  ordered  a  retreat,  and  that? 
portion  of  the  garrison  stationed  at  the  block-house,  wiis 
left  at  liberty  to  hasten  to  another  part  of  the  city,  already 
in  commotion  from  the  attack  of  Arnold. 

This  officer,  marching,  like  Montgomery,  at  the  head  of 
liis  column,  had  entered  the  toivn.  Advancing  along  a  nar- 
row street,  which  was  swept  by  the  grape  shot  of  the  ene- 
my, he  received  a  severe  wound  in  the  leg,  and  was  carried 
to  the  hospital.  Captain  Morgan,  afterwards  distinguished 
by  his  exploits  at  the  south,  assumed  the  command.  Placing 
himself  at  the  head  of  two  companies,  he  boldly  approach- 
ed the  enemy's  works,  and  entering  through  the  embra- 
sures, drove  the  men  from  their  guns. 

Here  he  halted  until  the  rear  of  the  column  came  up. 
When  time  was  given  for  reflection,  the  danger  of  their 
situation,  a  small  band  in  ihe  heart  of  a  hostile  city,  filled 
even  the  bosoms  of  the  brave  with  dread.  Morgan  retained 
his  firmness  ;  and  when  the  morning  dawned,  with  a  voice 
that  resounded  through  the  city,  summoned  his  troops  to 
the  assault  of  a  second  battery,  a  short  distance  in  advance 
of  the  first. 

Before  this,  a  fierce  combat  ensued.  Many  of  the  enemy 
were  killed,  but  more  Americans,  who  were  exposed  to  a 
destructive  fire  of  musketry  from  the  windows  of  the 
houses.     Some  of  the  most  daring  mounted  the  wall,  but, 


'A-v-, 


^ 


■«^-. 


160 


nEVOLUTIONARV  WAR. 


1776. 


viA> 


seeing,  on  the  other  side,  two  rnnks  of  soldiers,  with  their 
muskets  on  the  ground,  presenting  hedges  of  bayonets  to 
receive  them,  should  they  leap  forward,  they  recoiled  and 
descended. 

Weary  with  exertion,  and  benumbed  with  cold  ;  exposed 
to  a  deadly  late  from  every  quarter  ;  their  arms  rendered 
useless  by  the  anow  which  cuntinund  to  Hdl,  the  soldiers 
sought  retuge  in  the  houses.  Perceiving  that  all  farther  at- 
tempts would  be  vain,  Morgan  gave  the  signal  of  retreat. 
Some  of  the  men  fled,  but  most  were  unwilling  to  encoun- 
ter another  tempest  of  shot.  They  refused  '  vever,  to 
yiehl,  until  assured  of  the  fate  of  Montgomery  when,  losing 
all  hope  of  success  and  escape,  they  surrendc  .*  "  hemselves 
prisoners  of  war. 

The  losis  of  the  Americans,  in  this  despt  r;   .  ^m   rprise, 
eras  above  four  hundred,  of  whom  one  hundred  and  Hi'ty 
_f<ere  killed.     The  whole  continent  bewailed  the  death  of 
liontgomcry.     He  was  conspicuous,  even  in  those  times  ol 
nthusiii»m,  for  his  ardent  devotion  to  the  cause  of  freedom. 
He  was  efideared  to  the  good,  by  the  exercise,  in  the  midst 
of  war,  of  the  amiable  virtues.     His  soldiers  adored  him  foi 
his  lofty  spirit  and  daring  bravery.     The  enemy  respected 
him  for  his  honorable  conduct,  and  distinguished  military 
duties.  Until  his  last  enterprise,  continual  success  bore  tes- 
timony to  the  greatness  of  his  talents ;  and  defeat,  when  he 
w:i3  no  more,  confirmed  the  testimony  of  success.     Con- 
gress resolve<l  that  a  monument  should  be  erected  to  per- 
petuate histiune.  It  lives  yet  fresh  in  thememory  of  Ameri- 
can?.    In  1 8 1  il.  New- York,  his  adopted  state,  removed  \w 
rcmtiios  from  (Quebec  to  her  own  metropolis,  where  the 
monument  had  been  placed,  and  near  that  they  repose. 

Soma  of  the  Americans,  on  their  escape  from  Q,uebec, 
retreate*!  precipitately  to  Alontrcal.  Arnold,  with  dillicuity, 
detaine<l  about  four  hundred,  who,  breaking  up  their  camj), 
retired  three  miles  from  the  city.  Flere  this  heroic  bnnd, 
though  much  inferior  in  number  to  the  garrison,  kept  it  in 
continual  awe,  antl,  by  preventing  all  communication  with 
the  country,  reduced  it  to  great  distress  for  the  want  of  pro- 
visions. 

Congress,  on  receiving  information  of  the  disaster  of  the 
.3 1 9t  ot^  December,  directed  reinforcements  to  be  sent  to 
Canada  ;  and  after  the  beginning  of  March,  Arnold's  party 


^^ 


1775. 


REVOLtTTIONAKV  WAR. 


181 


wni  Rimost  daily  augmented  by  the  arrival  of  small  .die^ 
of  troops.  But  its  strength  did  not  increase  wit  ^  num- 
bers. The  small-pox  slill  continued  its  ravages  ,  fatigue, 
without  hope,  depressed  the  spirits  of  the  soldiers ;  the  dif- 
ficulty of  obtaining  provisions,  became  every  day  greater  ; 
and  the  harsh  measures  adopted  by  Arnold  to  procure  them, 
exasperated  the  inhabitants  around  him. 

On  the  first  of  Miiy,  general  Thomas,  who  had  been  ap- 
pointed to  succeed  Montgomery,  arrived  from  the  camp  at 
Roxbury.  On  reviev  io-r  his  army,  he  found  it  to  consist  of 
less  than  two  ihousand  c  ,»\,  .f  whom  half  were  not  fit  for 
duty.  A  council  of  ^  i;  wa.*  4,eld,  who  resolved  that  it  was 
expedient  to  take  a  .tore  Jrf<  tisible  position  higher  up  the 
St.  Lawrence.  To  thisdecinion  they  were  led  by  the  know- 
ledge that  the  ice  was  leaving  the  river,  and  by  the  expec- 
tation that  reinforcements  from  England  would  immediately 
come  up.  The  next  morning,  in  fact,  while  the  Americans 
were  engaged  in  removing  the  sick,  several  ships  appeared 
in  sight,  and  entered  the  harbor.  A  multitude  of  troops 
were  immediately  poured  into  the  city. 

At  one  o'clock,  Carleton  made  a  sortie  at  the  head  of  a 
thousand  men.  Against  these,  general  Thomas,  at  that  mo- 
ment, could  oppose  but  three  hundred.  All  the  stores,  and 
many  of  the  sick,  fell  into  the  power  of  the  enemy.  The 
latter  were  treated,  by  the  governor,  with  great  tenderness  ; 
and  when  restored  to  health,  were  assisted  to  return  to 
their  homes.  The  Americans  retreated  to  the  mouth  ot  the 
Sorel,  where  they  were  joined  by  several  regiments,  and 
where  their  worthy  commander  died  of  the  small-pox, 
which  yet  prevailed  in  the  camp. 

While  patriotism  and  valor  were,  in  this  quarter,  unsuc- 
cessfully contending  with  a  superior  force,  the  Americans 
sustained  a  heavy  and  unexpected  calamity,  resulting  from 
cowardice,  in  an  other.  At  a  fortified  pLace,  called  the  Ce- 
dars, forty  miles  above  Montreal,  colonel  Bedell  was  sta- 
tioned with  four  hundred  men,  and  two  pieces  of  cannon. 
Assembling  a  force  of  six  hundred,  mostly  Indian  warriors, 
captain  Foster,  who  commanded  at  Oswegatchie,  descended 
the  river  to  attack  this  post. 

Colonel  Bedell,  leaving  major  Bnttertield  in  command, 
repaired  to  Montreal  to  obtain  assistance.  Shortly  after- 
wards, captain  Foster  appeared,  and  invested  the  fort.    He 

16 


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182 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


1776. 


m- 


had  no  artillery,  and  in  the  course  of  two  days,  but  one  man 
was  wounded.  More  efficient  than  his  arms,  was  the  inti- 
mation, that  if  any  of  the  Indians  should  be  killed,  it  would 
not  be  in  his  power  to  restrain  them  from  the  massacre  of 
the  garrison.  Intimidated  by  this,  major  Butterfield  surren- 
dered his  whole  party  prisoners  of  war,  stipulating  only  for 
their  baggage  and  their  lives. 

Upon  the  representation  of  colonel  Bedell,  a  reinforce- 
ment was  ordered  to  march  from  Montreal ;  but  he,  more 
mindful  of  safety  than  of  honor,  declined  r-eturning  with  it, 
and  the  command  was  given  to  major  Sherburne.  The  day 
after  the  surrender  of  the  fort,  of  which  event  the  major 
was  ignorant,  and  about  four  miles  from  it,  he  was  met  by 
a  large  body  of  Indians,  to  whom,  after  an  obstinate  and 
bloody  conflict,  he  was  obliged  to  surrender.  The  whole 
loss  of  the  Americans  was  at  least  five  hundred. 

General  Sullivan  was  appointed  to  succeed  general  Tho- 
mas, and  on  the  first  of  June,  arrived  at  the  river  Sorel, 
where  he  found  between  four  and  five  thousand  men.  But 
the  army  of  the  enemy  had,  in  the  mean  time,  been  aug- 
mented to  thirteen  thousand.  Commanding  a  force  so  de- 
cidedly superior,  governor  Carleton  pressed  forward  in 
pursuit,  and  the  Americans  retreated  slowly  and  reluctantly 
before  him.  At  St.  Johns,  the  pursuit  ceased ;  but  generul 
Sullivan,  in  obedience  to  orders  from  general  Schuyler, 
continued  his  march  to  Crown  Point,  at  the  head  of  lake 
Champlain. 

Thus  terminated  the  expedition  against  Canada.  In  its 
conception  it  was  singularly  bold  and  romantic.  In  its  pro- 
gress were  displayed  fortitude  and  bravery  seldom  equalled 
in  military  annals.  Its  failure  was  a  painful  disappointment 
to  the  patriots  of  the  day.  It  is  now  consoling  to  reflect, 
that  success  would  probably  have  proved  injurious  to  the 
cause  of  independence.  To  protect  the  province,  the  mili- 
tary force  of  the  confederacy  must  have  been  too  much  ex- 
tended, and  colonies  more  important  have  been  left  de- 
fenceless. 


m 


■t: 


.  1    ■■'tjV' 


■■'  v-r^ 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


CAMPAIGN  OF  1T76. 


The  last  humble  petition  ofcongresstotbe  king  was  pre- 
sented by  Mr.  Penn,the  late  governor  of  Pennsylyania.  A 
few  days  afterwards  he  was  told  by  the  minister  that  no  an- 
swer would  be  made  to  it.  The  haughty  spirit  which  dic- 
tated this  reply,  pervaded  both  houses  of  parliament. 

In  December,  a  law  was  passed  amounting  to  a  declara- 
tion of  war  against  the  colonies.  Treaties  were  made  with 
the  Landgrave  of  Hesse  Cassel  and  other  German  princes, 
hiring  of  them  seventeen  thousand  men,  to  be  employed 
against  the  Americans ;  and  it  was  determined  to  send  over, 
in  addition  to  these,  twenty-five  thousand  English  troops. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  year  1776,  a  fleet  under  Sir  Peter 
Parker,  and  two  thousand  five  hundred  troops  commanded 
by  earl  Cornwallis,  were  despatched  upon  an  expedition 
against  the  southern  colonies.  Soon  after,  admiral  Hotham 
set  sail  with  a  large  number  of  transports,  carrying  the  first 
division  of  Hessians ;  and  in  May  followed  Admiral  Lord 
Howe,  who  had  been  appointed  eommander  of  the  naval 
force  on  the  American  station.  He,  and  his  brother,  general 
Howe,  had  also  been  appointed  joint  commissioners  to  grant 
pardons  on  submission. 

On  the  first  of  May,  the  fleet  under  sir  Peter  Parker,  ar- 
rived on  the  coast  of  North  Carolina,  where  sir  Henry 
Clinton,  arriving  at  the  same  time  from  New-York,  took 
command  of  the  troops.  The  late  defeat  of  the  highland 
emigrants  had  so  dispirited  the  loyalists  in  this  colony,  that 
he  determined  to  proceed  farther  south,  and  attack  Charles- 
ton, the  capital  of  South  Carolina. 

Fortunately,  an  oflicial  letter,  announcing  the  speedy  de- 
parture of  the  expedition  from  England,  had  been  inter- 
cepted early  in  the  spring,  and  time  was  thus  given  to  place 
this  city  in  a  state  of  defence,    A  strong  fort  was  built  on 


-<?'«i 


184 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


1776'. 


Sullivan's  island,  a  position  from  which  ships,  on  entering 
the  harbor,  could  be  greatly. annoyed  ;  the  streets,  in  dif- 
ferent places,  were  strongly  barricaded  ;  the  stores  on  the 
wharves,  though  of  great  value,  were  pulled  down,  and 
lines  of  defence  erected  along  the  water's  edge. 

On  learning  the  near  approach  of  the  enemy,  the  militiu 
of  the  country  were  summoned  to  defend  the  capital.  They 
obeyed  with  alacrity,  increasing  to  five  or  six  thousand  the 
number  of  troops.  General  Lee  had  been  sent  from  New- 
York  to  take  the  chief  command  ;  and  his  high  military  re- 
putation gave  confidence  to  the  soldiers  and  inhabitants. 
Under  him  were  colonels  Gadsden,  Moultrie,  and  Thomp- 
son. 

In  the  morning  of  the  28th  of  June,  nine  ships  of  war, 
carrying  two  hundred  and  iifty^uns,  began  a  furious  attack 
upon  the  fort  on  the  island,  which  was  garrisoned  by  about 
four  hundred  men,  under  the  command  of  colonel  Moultrie. 
At  the  same  time,  a  detachment  of  troops  was  landed  on  an 
adjoining  island,  and  directed  to  cross  over,  at  a  place  where 
the  sea  was  supposed  to  be  shallow,  and  attack  it  in  the 
rear. 

The  heavy  and  incessant  fire  of  the  enemy  was  received 
with  coolness,  and  returned  with  skill.  Many  of  their  ships 
suffered  severely,  and  particularly  the  Bristol,  on  board  of 
which  was  commodore  Parker.  She  was  twice  in  flames, 
her  captain  was  killed,  and  so  dreadful  was  the  slaughter, 
that  at  one  time,  the  commodore  was  the  only  person  upon 
deck  unhurt. 

In  the  midst  of  the  action,  general  Lee  visited  the  gnr° 
rison.  He  was  delighted  with  the  enthusiasm  they  exhib- 
ited. Nothing  seemed  capable  of  quenching  their  ardor. 
Soldiers,  mortally  wounded,  exhorted  their  comrades  never 
to  abandon  the  standard  of  li  /  .  <<  I  die,"  said  sergeant 
McDonald,  in  Vis  last  momei.!  for  a  glorious  cause  ;  but 
I  hope  it  win    ot  expire  with  me." 

Tin  Brit  troops,  destined  to  attack  the  fort  in  the 
rear,  found  it  impossible  to  reach  the  island.  The  engage^ 
ment  with  the  fleet  continued  until  dark.  The  ships,  hav< 
ing  received  too  much  injury  to  renew  it,  moved  off  in  the 
njght ;  and  a  few  days  afterwards,  the  fleet,  with  the  troop& 
on  board,  set  sail  for  New- York,  where  the  whole  British 
force  had  been  ordered  to  assemble. 


1776. 


RBVOtUTIONARY  WAR. 


185 


The  killed  and  wounded  on  the  part  of  the  enemy,  amount- 
ed to  near  two  hundred.  Ofthe  Americans,  ten  were  killed, 
and  twenty-two  wounded.  The  troops,  for  their  gallantry, 
received  the  thanks  of  congress,  and  high  and  well  merited 
praise  from  their  countrymen.  Their  success  was  auspicious 
to  the  cause  of  freedom.  In  a  part  of  the  country  where 
resistance  by  force  had  been  but  little  contemplated,  it 
aroused  the  people  to  exertion,  and  inspired  them  with  con- 
fidence. 

Notwithstanding  the  active  war  carried  on,  the  colonies 
still  professed  allegiance  to  the  British  king ;  and  protested 
that  the  sole  object  of  all  their  measures,  was  a  redress  of 
grievances.  In  the  beginning  of  the  contest,  tliese  profes- 
sions, in  most  instances,  were  sincere  ;  but  a  state  of  hos- 
tility produced  a  rapid  change  of  sentiment.  In  place  of  at- 
tachment to  monarchy  and  to  Great  Britain,  succeeded  de- 
votion to  republican  principles,  and  wishes  for  indepen-' 
dance. 

The  temporary  constitutions  adopted  by  New-Hamp- 
shire, and  several  other  colonies,  had  shown  with  what  fa- 
cility all  bonds  of  connexion  with  the  mother  country  could 
be  dissolved.  Essays  in  the  newspapers,  and  pamphlets  in-' 
dustriously  circulated,  appealing  to  the  reason  and  to  the 
passions  ofthe  people,  enforced  the  necessity  and  policy  of 
a  separation.  Resistance,  it  was  observed,  had  been  car- 
riedtoo  far  to  allov^  the  hope  that  cordial  harmony  could 
ever  be  restored  ;  submission  on  any  terms,  to  irritated 
masters,  would  be  totally  unsafe ;  and  the  alternative  was 
presented  of  rising  to  the  honorable  rank  of  an  independent 
nation,  or  sinking  into  a  state  of  vassalage  which  every  fu- 
ture year  would  render  more  oppressive  and  degrading. 

A  pamphlet,  entitled  "  Common  Sense,"  and  written  by 
Thomas  Paine,  an  Englishman,  was  universally  read,  and 
most  highly  admired.  In  language  plain,  forcible,  and  sin- 
gularly well  fitted  to  operate  on  the  public  mind,  he  por- 
trayed the  excellences  of  our  republican  institutions,  and  at- 
tacked,with  happy  and  successful  ridicule,  the  principles  of 
hereditary  government.  The  effect  of  the  pamphlet  in 
making  converts,  was  astonishing,  and  is  probably  with- 
out precedent  in  the  annals  of  literature. 

As  a  step  preparatory  to  independence,  congress,  on  the 
15th  of  May,  recommended  to  those  colonies  that  had  not 

16* 


A' 


186 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


1776. 


yet  adopted  constitutions,  to  establish,  without  any  limita- 
tion of  time,  "such  governments  as  might  best  conduce  to 
the  happiness  and  safety  of  the  people."  The  recommen- 
dation was  generally  complied  with,  and  in  every  instance 
the  government  was  not  only  entirely  elective,  but  elective 
at  such  short  periods  as  to  impress  upon  rulers  their  imme- 
diate accountability  to  the  people,  and  upon  the  people  a 
just  opinion  of  their  own  importance,  and  a  conviction  of 
their  safety  from  misrule. 

The  colonies  had  become  accustomed  to  contemplate 
themselves  as  sovereign  states ;  and  the  governments  ot 
many  expressed  their  desire  that  congress  would  declare 
them  such  to  the  world.  On  the  7th  of  June,  a  resolution 
to  that  effect  was  proposed,  in  that  body,  by  Richard  Henry 
Lee,  of  Virginia,  and  seconded  by  John  Adams,  of  Massa- 
chusetts. While  under  consideration,  the  colonies,which  had 
not  expressed  their  approbation  of  the  measure,  declared 
their  concurrence.  A  committee,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Jef- 
ferson, Adams,  Franklin,  Sherman,  and  Livingston,  were  in- 
structed to  prepare  a  Declaration  of  Independence,  which, 
on  the  fourth  of  July,  a  memorable  day,  was  almost  unani- 
mously adopted. 

"  We  hold  these  truths,"  says  this  celebrated  state  paper, 
"to  be  self  evident,  that  all  mankind  are  created  equal : 
that  they  are  endowed  by  their  Creator  with  certain  una- 
lienable rights  ;  that  among  these,  are  life,  liberty ,and  the 
pursuit  of  happiness  ;  that  to  secure  these  rights,  govern- 
ments are  instituted  among  men,  deriving  their  just  powers 
from  the  consent  of  the  governed  ;  that  whenever  any  form 
of  government  becomes  destructive  of  these  ends,  it  is  the 
right  of  the  people  to  alter  or  abolish  it,  and  to  institute  a 
new  government,  laying  its  foundations  on  such  principles, 
and  organizing  its  powers  in  such  form,  as  to  them  shall  seem 
most  likely  to  effect  their  safety  and  happiness." 

To  justify  the  exercise,  on  the  present  occasion,  of  the 
right  here  asserted,  a  long  enumeration  is  made  of  the  in- 
juries inflicted  upon  the  colonies,  by  the  king  of  Great 
Britain,  which  is  closed  by  declaring  that  "  a  prince  whose 
character  is  thus  marked  by  every  act  which  may  define  a 
tyrant,  is  unlit  to  be  the  ruler  of  a  free  people." 

The  appeals  which  had  been  made  to  the  people  of  Great 
Britain,  are  also  recounted ;  <<  but  they  too  have  been  deaf 


1776. 


nEVOf.UTIONARV  WAR. 


167 


to  the  voice  of  justice  and  consanguinity.  We  must  there- 
fore acquiesce  in  the  necessity  which  denounces  our  sepa- 
ration, and  hold  them,  as  we  hold  the  rest  of  mankind,  ene- 
mies in  war,  in  peace  friends. 

"  We,  therefore,  the  representatives  of  the  United  States 
of  America,  in  general  congress  nssembled,  appealing  to  the 
Supreme  Judge  of  the  World  for  the  rectitude  of  our  in- 
tentions, do,  in  the  name,  and  by  the  authority,  of  the  good 
people  of  these  colonies,  solemnly  publish  and  declare,  that 
these  United  Colonies  are,  and  of  right  out  to  be,  frfe  and 
INDEPENDENT  STATES  ;  that  they  are  absolved  from  all  alle- 
giance to  the  British  crown,  and  that  all  political  connexion 
between  them  and  the  state  of  Great  Britain  is,  and  of  right 
ought  to  be,  totally  dissolved  ;  and  that,  as  free  and  inde- 
pendent states,  they  have  full  power  to  levy  war,  conclude 
peace,  contract  alliances,  establish  commerce,  and  do  all 
other  acts  and  things  which  independent  states  may  of  right 
do.  And  for  the  support  of  this  declaration,  with  a  firm  re- 
liance on  the  protection  of  Divine  Providenoe,  we  mutually 
pledge  to  each  other  our  lives,  our  fortunes,  and  our  sacred 
honor." 

This  declaration  was  communicated  to  the  army,  and  re- 
ceived with  enthusiastic  plaudits.  A  great  majority  of  the 
people  welcomed  it  with  joy,  which  was  displayed,  in  al- 
most every  city,  by  extraordinary  public  festivities.  Those 
who  had  been  denominated  tories,  were  averse  to  a  separa- 
tion. Many  joined  the  royal  armies,  and  exhibited,  during 
the  war,  the  most  cruel  hostility  against  the  wbigs,  their 
countrymen. 

During  the  spring  and  summer,  unremitted  exertions 
were  made  to  fortify  the  city  of  New-York,  against  which, 
it  was  supposed,  the  whole  strength  of  the  enemy  would  be 
next  directed.  In  this  crisis,  the  people  of  that  state  acted 
with  spirit  and  firmness.  One  fourth  of  the  militia  of  the 
counties  contiguous  to  the  city,  were  called  into  the  public 
service.  Yet  the  means,  in  the  power  of  the  commander- 
in-chief,  were  not  adequate  to  the  emergency.  He  had  un- 
der his  command  but  fourteen  thousand  effective  men  ;  and 
was  almost  destitute  of  many  articles  which  impart  strength 
as  well  as  comfort  to  an  army.  As  it  was  in  the  power  of 
the  enemy  to  choose  their  point  of  attack,  this  force  was 
necessarily  divided.    A  part  were  stationed  in  the  city,  a 


188 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


1776. 


part  at  Brooklyn,  on  Long  Island,  and  small  detachments  at 
rarious  other  posts. 

In  the  beginning  of  July,  admiral  and  general  Howe  ar- 
rived in  the  harbor  of  New- York.  They  were  accompanied 
by  a  powerful  naval  force,  and  by  an  army  of  twenty-four 
thousand  men,  abundantly  supplied  with  military  stores. 
The  troops  were  landed  on  Staten  Island,  a  position  from 
which  ulterior  movementscould  most  conveniently  be  made. 

General  Washington,  presumingthatthe  firstaltack  would 
be  made  upon  the  post  at  Brooklyn,  strengthened  it  by  a 
detachment  of  troops  from  the  city,  and  gave  the  command 
of  it  to  general  Putnam.  On  the  22d  of  August,  the  British 
forces  were  landed  on  the  opposite  side  of  Long  Island. 
The  two  armies  were  now  about  four  miles  asunder,  and 
were  separated  by  a  range  of  hills,  over  which  passed  three 
main  roads.  Various  circumstances  led  general  Putnam  to 
suspect  that  the  enemy  intended  to  approach  him  by  the 
road  leading  to  his  right,  which  he  therefore  guarded  with 
most  care. 

Very  early  in  the  morning  of  the  26th,  his  suspicions 
were  strengthened  by  the  approach,  upon  that  road,  of  a 
column  of  British  troops,  and  upon  the  center  road,  of  a 
column  of  Hessians.  To  oppose  these,  the  American  troops 
were  mostly  drawn  from  their  camp,  and  in  the  engagements 
which  took  place,  evinced  considerable  bravery. 

These  movements  of  the  enemy  *vere  but  feints  to  divert 
the  attention  of  Putnam  from  the  road  which  led  to  his  left, 
along  which  general  Clinton  was  silently  advancing  with  the 
main  body  of  the  British  army.  The  report  of  cannon  in 
that  direction  gave  the  first  intimation  of  the  danger  which 
was  approaching.  The  Americans  endeavored  to  escape  it, 
by  returning,  with  the  utmost  celerity,  to  their  camp.  They 
were  not  able  to  arrive  there  in  time,  but  were  intercepted 
by  general  Clinton,  who  drove  them  back  upon  the  Hes- 
sians. 

Attacked  thus  in  front  and  rear,  they  fought  a  succession 
of  skirmishes,  in  the  course  of  which  many  were  killed, 
many  made  prisoners,  and  several  parties,  seizing  favorable 
opportunities,  forced  their  way  through  the  enemy,  and  re- 
gained the  camp.  A  bold  and  vigorous  charge,  made  by  the 
American  general,  Lord  Sterling,  at  the  heai  of  a  Maryland 
regiment,  enabled  a  large  body  to  escape  in  this  manner. 


1776. 


nEVOLUTIONAIlY  WAR. 


18D 


This  regiment,  fighting  with  desperate  bravery,  kept  a  force 
greatly  superior,  engaged,  until  their  comrades  had  passed 
by,  when  the  few  who  survived,  ceasing  to  resist,  surren- 
dered to  the  enemy. 

The  loss  of  the  Americans,  in  killed,  wounded,  and  pri- 
soners, considerably  exceeded  a  thousand.  Among  the 
latter  were  generals  Sullivan,  Sterling,  and  Woodhnll. 
The  total  loss  of  the  enemy  was  less  than  four  hundred. 
They  encamped  at  night  before  the  American  lines ;  and 
the  next  day  began  to  erect  batteries  within  six  hundred 
yards  of  their  left. 

While  the  battle  was  raging,  general  Washington  passed 
over  to  Brooklyn,  where  he  witnessed,  with  inexpressible 
anguish,  the  destruction  of  his  best  troops,  from  which, 
such  was  the  superiority  of  the  enemy,  it  was  impossible 
to  save  them.  Finding  the  men  dispirited  by  defeat,  he 
determined  to  remove  them  to  the  city.  The  retreat  was 
e£fected,  on  tha  night  of  the  28th,  with  such  silence  and 
despatch,  that  before  the  suspicions  of  the  enemy  were 
excited,  the  last  division  of  boats  was  beyond  the  reach  of 
their  tire. 

So  disheartened  were  the  militia,  that  they  deserted  by 
companies  ;  and  even  the  regular  troops  were  infected  by 
their  example.  Near  the  middle  of  September,  the  com- 
mander-in-chief, fearing  to  be  enclosed  in  the  city,  retired 
to  the  heights  of  Haerlem.  The  enemy  immediately  took 
possession.  A  few  days  afterwards,  a  fire  broke  out  which 
consumed  about  a  thousand  houses. 

General  Washington,  after  reflecting  upon  the  events 
which  had  already  occurred  ;  after  considering  the  inex- 
perience of  his. troops,  the  condition  of  the  coiii.ivy,  and 
the  distance  of  the  enemy  from  their  resources,  deter- 
mined to  adopt  a  cautious  system  of  warfiire ;  to  risk  at 
present  no  general  engagement ;  to  harass  and  wear  out 
the  enemy  by  keeping  them  in  continual  motion ;  and  to 
inspire  his  own  troops  with  courage,  by  engaging  them  in 
skirmishes,  in  all  cases,  where  success  was  probable.  In 
one,  fought  on  the  sixth  of  September,  the  brave  colonel 
Knowlton  was  killed  ;  but  the  result  was  so  decidedly  fa- 
vorable to  the  Americans,  that  the  troops  recovered  their 
spirits ;  and  the  general  was  confirmed  in  the  system  he 
had  adopted. 


190 


llEVOLUTIOff ARV  WAR. 


1776. 


The  movements  of  the  enemy,  in  the  beginning  of  Octo- 
ber, indicated  an  intention  of  gaining  the  rear  of  the  Ame- 
ricans, and  cutting  off  their  communication  with  the  eastern 
states.  The  army,  therefore,  quitting  Haerlem,  moved 
northward  towards  White  Plains.  General  Howe  pur- 
sued, making  several  attempts  to  bring  on  a  general  en- 
gagement, which  Washington  avoided  by  skilful  changes 
of  position.  A  partial  action  was  fought,  on  the  28th  of 
October,  in  which  the  loss  on  both  sides  was  nearly 
equal. 

Finding  his  antagonist  too  cautious  to  be  drawn  into  the 
open  field,  and  too  strong  to  be  attacked  in  his  entrench- 
ments, general  Howe  determined  to  return  towards  New- 
York,  and  attack  forts  Washington  and  Lee,  situated  oppo- 
site to  each  other  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson,  and  about 
ten  miles  above  the  city.  In  these  forts,  garrisons  had 
been  left,  from  a  wish  to  preserve  the  command  of  this 
important  river.  That  in  fort  Washingtoa,  consisting  in 
part  of  militia,  amounted  to  two  thousand  seven  hundred 
men,  under  colonel  Magaw. 

On  the  16th  of  November,  four  divisions  of  the  enemy's 
army,  led  by  their  principal  officers,  attacked  it  in  four  dif- 
ferent quarters.  The  garrison,  and  particularly  the  rifle- 
men under  colonel  Rawlings,  fought  bravely.  The  Ger- 
mans were  several  times  driven  back,  with  great  loss. 
But  these  combined  and  vigorous  attacks  were  at  length 
successful.  The  ammunition  in  the  fort  being  nearly  ex- 
hausted, and  all  the  out  posts  driven  in,  the  commander, 
on  being  a  second  time  summoned,  agreed  to  capitulate,  on 
honorable  terms.  This  was  the  severest  blow  the  Ameri- 
cans had  yet  felt.  The  loss  of  the  enemy,  however,  in 
killed  and  wounded,  was  supposed  to  be  twelve  hundred 
men. 

Fort  Lee  was  immediately  evacuated,  the  garrison  join- 
ing general  Washington.  He  had  previously,  with  one  di- 
vision of  his  army,  crossed  over  into  New-Jersey,  leaving 
the  other,  under  the  command  of  general  Lee,  in  New- 
York.  His  force,  even  when  augmented  by  the  garrison, 
consisted  of  but  three  thousand  effective  men,  and  they 
were  destitute  of  tents,  of  blankets,  and  even  of  utensils 
to  cook  their  provisions.  H|s  first  station  was  Newark; 
but  the  enemy  pursuing  him,  he  was  compelled  to  retreat 


1776. 


RKVOLUTIONARY  WAIl. 


191 


successively  to  Brunswick,  to  Princeton,  to  Trenton,  and 
finally  to  cro^R  the  Delaware  into  Pennsylvania ;  and  so 
close  was  t  u*  |  ursuit,  that  the  advance  of  the  British 
army  was  often  within  sight. 

Small  as  was  his  force  when  the  retreat  began,  it  dimi- 
nished daily.  On  the  last  of  November,  many  of  his 
troops  were  entitled  to  their  discharge,  and  not  one  of 
them  could  be  persuaded  to  continue  an  other  day  in  ser- 
vice. ISuch  he  feared  would  be  the  conduct  of  the  re- 
mainder, whose  time  would  expire  at  the  end  of  the  year. 
In  tbiH  extremity,  he  urged  general  Lee  to  hasten  to  his 
assistance  ;  but  that  officer,  having  other  purposes  in  view, 
delayed  his  march.  He  called  on  the  militia  of  New-Jer- 
sey and  Pennsylvania,  but  none  obeyed  his  call.  The  po- 
pulation around  him  were  hostile  or  de!f>ponding,  and  with- 
held all  aid  from  an  army  whose  career  seemed  near  its 
termination. 

In  this  darkest  hour  in  American  history,  general  Howe 
issued  a  proclamation  offering  pardon  to  all  who  would  de- 
clare their  submission  to  royal  authority.  The  contrast 
between  a  ragged,  suffering,  retreating  army,  and  a  full- 
clad,  powerful,  exulting  foe,  induced  many,  despairing  of 
success,  to  abandon  the  cause  they  had  espoused,  and  ac- 
cept of  pardon.  Among  them  were  Mr.  Gallaway,  and 
Mr.  Allen,  who  had  been  members  of  the  continent.d  con- 
gress. 

As  the  British  army  approached  Philadelphia,  congress 
adjourned  to  Baltimore,  having  previously  invested  general 
Washington  with  *'  full  power  to  order  and  direct  all  things 
relative  to  the  department,  and  to  the  operations  of  war." 
Such  unlimited  authority,  could  not  have  been  placed  in 
hands  more  worthy  to  hold  it.  To  the  elastic  energy  of 
his  mind,  and  his  perfcci  ielf-possession  in  tlie  most  des- 
perate circumstances,  is  America,  in  a  great  degree,  in- 
debted for  her  independence. 

On  the  day  that  he  was  driven  over  the  Delaware,  the 
British  took  possession  of  Bhode  Island.  On  the  ISth  of 
December,  general  Lee,  having  wandered  from  his  army, 
was  surprised  and  taken  prisoner.  In  the  experience  and 
talents  of  this  officer,  the  people  reposed  great  confidence, 
and  they  lamented  his  loss  like  that  of  an  army.  In  its 
consequences,  his  capture  was  fortunate.     The  command 


192 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


1771;. 


of  his  division  devolved  upon  genernl  Sullivan,  who  con- 
ducted it  promptly  to  general  Washington,  augmenting  his 
army  to  nearly  seven  thousand  effective  men. 

Still  so  much  stronger  were  the  enemy,  that  they,  re- 
garded the  rebels,  for  so  thev  delighted  to  call  the  pa- 
triots of  that  day,  as  almost  subdued,  and  doubted  not  that 
a  vigorous  attempt,  whenever  they  should  be  disposed  to 
make  it,  would  place  in  their  power  the  handful  of  men 
before  them.  They  rioted  upon  the  plunder  of  the  coun- 
try, and  enjoyed  in  prospect  the  fruits  of  an  assured  and 
decisive  victory. 

Washington  saw  that  this  tide  of  ill  fortune  must  be  stem- 
med— must  even  be  rolled  back  upon  the  enemy — or  it 
would  soon  overwhelm  his  country.  He  resolved  to  hn« 
zard  all  that  was  left  in  one  vigorous  effort  for  victory. 
On  the  night  of  the  25th  December,  at  the  head  of  two 
thousand  four  hundred  men,  he  crossed  the  Delaware  at 
Trenton,  surprised  a  body  of  Hessians  stationed  at  that 
place,  took  nme  hundred  prisoners,  and  immediately  re- 
crossed,  having  lost  but  nine  of  his  men. 

This  sudden  and  severe  blow  awakened  the  enemy  to 
activity.  Cornwallis,  who  had  repaired  to  New-York,  in- 
trusting to  his  inferior  officers  the  task  of  finishing  the  war, 
returned,  with  additional  troops,  to  regain  the  ground  that 
had  been  lost. .  He  concentrated  his  forces  at  Princeton ; 
and  soon  after,  Washington,  having  been  joined  hy  a  body 
of  Pennsylvania  militia,  and  persuaded  the  New-England 
troops  to  serve  six  weeks  longer,  again  crossed  the  Dela- 
ware and  took  post  at  Trenton. 

On  the  2d  of  January,  1777,  the  greater  part  of  the  Bri- 
tish army  marched  to  attack  the  Americans.  In  the  even- 
ing, they  encamped  near  Trenton,  in  full  expectation  of  a 
battle  and  victory  in  the  morning.  Washington,  sensible 
of  the  inferiority  of  his  force ;  sensible  too  that  flight 
would  be  almost  as  fatal  as  defeat,  conceived  another  bold 
project  which  he  resolved  instantly  to  execute. 

About  midnight,  having  renewed  his  fires,  he  silently 
decamped,  and  gaining,  by  a  circuitous  route,  the  rear  of 
the  enemy,  marched  towards  Princeton,  where  he  pre- 
sumed Cornwallis  had  left  a  part  of  his  troops.  At  sun- 
rise, the  van  of  the  American  forces  met  unexpectedly  two 
British  regiments.     A  sharp  action  ensued ;  the  fortiiejr 


"m- 


1776. 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


193 


gave  way.  At  tliis  crisis,  when  all  wai  at  stake,  the  com* 
mander-in-chief  led  the  main  body  to  the  attack.  The 
enemy  were  routed  and  fled.  Fortunately  the  heroic 
Washington,  though  exposed  to  both  fires,  and  but  a  few 
yards  distant  from  either  party,  escaped  unhurt. 

Instead  of  pursuing  them,  he  pressed  forward  to  Prince« 
ton,  where  one  resiment  yet  remained.  Part  saved  them- 
selves by  a  precipitate  flight ;  about  three  hundred  were 
made  prisoners.  The  British  loss  in  killed  was  upwards 
of  one  hundred  ;  the  American  was. less,  but  in  the  num- 
ber were  the  brave  general  Mercer,  and  several  valuable 
officers.  Among  the  wounded  was  lieutenant  James  Mon« 
roe,  afterwards  raised  to  the  highest  office  in  the  gift  of  his 
fellow  citizens. 

fn  consternation,  the  British  army  immediately  eyacu- 
ated  Trenton,  and  retreated  to  New-Brunswick.  The  in- 
habitants, resuming  their  courage,  and  giving  full  force  to 
their  rage,  which  fear  had  smothered,  took  revenge  for  the 
brutalities  they  had  suffered.  The  enemy  were  driven 
from  all  their  posts  in  New-Jersey,  except  Amboy  and 
Brunswick,  and  the  American  army  obtained  secure  win- 
ter-quarters at  Morristown. 

The  brilliant  victories  at  Trenton  and  Princeton  raised» 
from  the  lowest  depression,  the  spirits  of  the  American 
people.  They  regarded  Washington  as  the  savior  of  his 
country.  He  became  the  theme  of  eulogy  throughout 
Europe.  And  having  displayed,  as  occapions  demanded* 
the  opposite  qualities  of  caution  and  impetuosity,  he  re- 
ceived the  honorable  and  appropriate  appellation  ef  the 
American  Fubius. 


»■■■ 

Tift 


'-*• 


■^■M.; 


yi 


jiiH)' 


* 


m 


«p 


^' 


:m- 


'  '^' 


THEf 

defeat  hi 
the  men 
friend  of 
or  disma; 
of  that  w 
and,  mad 
had  beei 
country, 
listed  to  I 
Of  the  ii 
made  lai 
their  firn 
Glared  tti 
require< 
which 
ports. 

Relyii 
Britain, 
struction 
of  war, 
United 
Silas  De 
Decemb 
his  own 
tering  r 
minister 
themes 
was  rem 

The 


f 


CHAPTER  XIX. 
*  CAMPAIGN   OF   1777. 

The  firmness  manifested  by  congress,  when  disaster  and 
defeat  had  almost  annihilated  the  American  army,  entitles 
the  members  to  the  gratitude  and  admiration  of  every 
friend  of  freedom.  They  exhibited  no  symptom  of  terror 
or  dismay.  They  voted  to  raise  an  army  to  take  the  place 
of  that  which  was  to  be  disbanded  at  the  end  of  the  year ; 
and,  made  sensible  by  experience  that  short  enlistments 
had  been  the  cause  of  most  of  the  misfortunes  of  their 
country,  they  resolved  that  the  new  levies  should  be  en- 
listed to  serve  three  years  or  during  the  war»  at  the  optioa 
of  the  individual  recruits.  To  defray  expenses,  they 
made  large  emissions  of  paper  money.  And  to  evince 
their  firm  determination  to  the  world,  they  solemnly  de- 
clared that  they  would  listen  to  no  terms  of  peace  which 
required  a  rehnquishment  of  their  independence,  or 
which  should  deprive  other  nations  of  a  free  trade  to  their 
ports. 

Relying  on  the  inveterate  enmity  of  France  against  Great 
Britain,  they  sent  commissioners  to  that  court,  with  in- 
structions to  solicit  a  loan  of  money,  a  supply  of  munitions 
of  war,  and  an  acknowledgment  of  the  independence  of  the 
United  States.  These  commissioners  were  Dr.  Franklin, 
Silas  Dean,  and  Arthur  Lee.  Frank. ^>i  arrived  at  Paris  in 
December.  The  cause  of  which  he  was  the  advocate,  and 
his  own  great  fame  as  a  philosopher,  procured  him  a  flat- 
tering reception  from  all  ranks  of  people.  America,  her 
minister,  her  siruggle  against  oppression,  became  the 
themes  of  popular  discourse,  and  the  government  itself 
was  rendered  in  secret  propitious  to  her  cause. 

The  ministry  permitted  arms  covertly  taken  from  the 
public  arsenals,  to  be  conveyed  to  the  United  States. 


196 


REVOLUTIONARV  WAR. 


1777, 


They  connived  at  the  sale,  in  their  West  India  islands,  and 
even  in  the  ports  of  France,  of  the  prizes  taken  by  Ameri- 
can privateers.  The  value  of  these  prizes  made  in  the 
year  1776:,  was  computed  at  five  millions  of  dollars,  and 
far  exceeded  that  of  the  captures  made  by  the  enemy. 

So  popular  was  the  cause  of  the  United  States,  and  so 
exalted  the  character  of  their  military  leader,  that  many 
French  officers  sought  an  opportunity  of  engaging  in  their 
service.  Among  these,  the  young  Marquis  de  la  Fayette 
was  most  conspicuous  for  his  rank,  and  most  distinguished 
for  his  ardor  and  enthusiasm.  At  an  early  period,  he 
communicated  to  the  American  agents  his  wish  to  join  the 
republican  armies.  At  first,  they  encouraged  his  zeal, 
but  learning  the  disasters  which  preceded  the  victory  at 
Trenton,  they,  with  honorable  frankness,  communicated 
the  information  to  him,  and  added  that  they  were  so  desti- 
tute of  funds  ^  that  they  could  not  even  provide  for  his  pas- 
sage across  the  ocean.  ^  . 

*'  If  your  country,"  replied  the  gallant  youth,  "  is  in- 
deed reduced  to  this  extremity,  it  is  at  this  moment  that 
my  departure  to  join  her  armies  will  render  her  the  most 
esseniial  service."  He  immediately  hired  a  vessel  to  con- 
vey him  to  America,  where  he  arrived  in  the  spring  oi' 
1777.  He  was  received  with  cordial  affection  by  the  peo- 
ple, became  the  bosom  friend  of  Washington,  solicited  per- 
mission to  serve  without  pay ;  and  was  appointed  major- 
general  in  the  army. 

In  the  last  campaign,  more  prisoners  had  been  taken  by 
the  British  than  by  the  Americans.  They  were  detained 
at  New- York  and  were  confined  in  churches  and  prisoii 
ships,  where  they  endured  the  extremity  of  wretched- 
ness. They  were  exposed,  without  fire  and  almost  with- 
out clothes,  to  the  inclemency  of  the  severe  winter  ;  were 
often  whole  days  without  food,  and  when  food  was  offered, 
it  was  but  a  miserable  pittance,  damaged  and  loathsome. 
Many  died  of  hunger,  and  mure  of  diseases,  produced  by 
their  complicated  sufferings. 

Washington  remonstrated  with  warmth,  and  threatened 
retaliation.  After  his  victories  in  New-Jersey,  their 
treatment  was  less  inhuman.  An  exchange  was  agreed 
upon,  but  many,  when  attempting  to  walk  from  their 
places  of  confinement  to  the  vessels  provided  to  convey. 


:m' 


1777. 


REVOLUTIONARY    WAR. 


197 


them  away,  fell  "^nd  expired  in  the  streets.  Yet  in  the 
midst  of  thes:>  paralleled  sufferings,  they  had  exhibited 
fortitude  more  .  le  and  more  honorable  to  human  nature 
than  the  highest  display  of  valor  in  battle.  To  entice 
them  to  enlist  in  the  royal  army,  they  were  promised 
relief  from  misery,  and  the  enjoyment  of  abundance. 
They  rejected  the  offer  with  disdain ;  thus  giving  to  the 
world  the  noblest  proof  of  the  absence  of  all  mercenary 
motive  and  of  the  sincerity  and  fervor  of  their  devotion 
to  their  country. 

Near  the  end  of  May,  the  American  army,  which  had 
been  augmented  by  recruits,  to  almost  ten  thousand  men, 
moved  from  Morristovirn,  and  took  a  strong  position  at 
Middlebrook.  The  British,  soon  after,  left  their  encamp- 
ment, and  general  Howe  endeavored,  by  various  move- 
ments, to  induce  general  Washington  to  quit  his  strong  hold 
and  meet  him  on  equal  ground.  But  the  latter,  adhering 
to  his  Fabian  system  of  warfare,  determmed  to  remain  in 
the  position  he  had  chosen. 

General  Howe,  changing  his  purpose,  transported  his 
army  to  Staten  Island.  He  there  embarked  sixteen  thousand 
troops  on  board  a  large  fleet,  and,  leaving  Sir  Henry  Clin- 
ton in  command  at  New-York,  put  out  to  sea  on  the  26th 
of  July.  His  destination  was  carefully  kept  secret.  On 
the  £Oth  of  August,  the  fleet  entered  Chesapeak  bay,  and 
rendered  it  certain  that  an  attack  upon  Philadelphia  was 
intended.  The  troops  were  landed  at  Elk  ferry,  in  Mary- 
land, fifty  miles  south  of  that  city. 

The  American  army  immediately  crossed  the  Delaware, 
and,  passing  through  Philadelphia,  directed  its  march  to- 
wards the  enemy.  The  people,  weary  of  delays  and  inde- 
cisive movements,  demanded  that  a  general  engagement 
should  be  hazarded  for  the  defence  of  the  metropolis, 
Washington,  yielding  to  their  wishes,  took  a  position  on 
the  eastern  bank  of  Brandywine  creek,  and  in  the  direct 
tion  of  the  enemy's  route. 

On  the  eleventh  of  September,  the  British  army  appear- 
ed, and  crossing  the  creek  at  several  fords,  commenced  an 
attack  upon  the  American  right,  which  after  a  short  resis- 
tance, gave  way.  The  other  divisions,  successively  at- 
tacked, gave  way  in  like  manner,  and  the  rout  becoming 
general,  a  retreat  was  ordered  to  Chester. 

17* 


f*.  • 


198 


HEVOLUtlONARV    WAR. 


1776. 


Several  portions  of  the  American  army,  particularly  a 
brigade  from  Virginia,  exhibited  ift  this  battle  great  firm- 
ness and  braveryr  The  misconduct  of  others  rendered 
their  bravery  unavailing.  The  American  loss  amounted 
to  twelve  hundred  ;  the  British  to  no  more  than  half  that 
number.  The  Marquis  de  la  Fayette  took  part  in  the  en- 
gagement and  was  wounded.  The  next  day,  the  army  re- 
tired to  Philadelphia,  and  soon  after  to  Reading,  where  a 
quantity  of  stores  had  been  deposited.  The  retreat  wa$^ 
performed  without  a  murmur,  although  many  marched 
without  shoes,  and  slept  on  the  ground  without  blankets. 
On  the  26th  of  September,  general  Howe  entered  Philadel 
phia  in  triumph,  Congress  having  .previously  removed  to 
Lancaster. 

The  transactions  of  the  contending  armies  at  the  north, 
since  the  termination  of  the  expedition  to  Canada,  now  de- 
mand our  attention.  The  Americans  halted  at  Crownpoint, 
the  British  at  St.  Johns,  and  both  employed  the  remainder 
of  the  summer  in  building  vessels  and  making  preparations 
to  secure  the  command  of  lake  Champlain. 

On  the  1  Ith  of  Oct'^ber,  1776,  the  American  and  British 
squadrons  met,  colonel  Arnold,  who  had  been  a  sailor  in  his 
youth,  commanding  the  former.  After  a  short  contest,  the 
enemy,  not  being  then  able  to  bring  their  whole  force  in- 
to action,  retired.  The  next  diiy,  they  returned  to  the 
combat,  and  being  greatly  superior,  drove  the  American 
squadron  before  them  to  the  head  of  the  lake.  A  sharp 
action  then  took  place  ;  the  officers  and  nien  fought  gal- 
lantly, but  Arnold  losing  a  part  of  his  force,  and  perceiving 
defeat  to  be  inevitable,  ran  the  remaiiider  of  bis  vessel 
on  shore  and  set  them  on  fire. 

Winter  approaching,  governor  Carleton  relumed  with 
bis  troops  to  Canada.  General  Burgoyne,  who  had  served 
under  him  during  the  last  campaign,  made  a  voyage  to 
England  to  concert  a  plan  for  future  operations.  It  was 
determined  that  a  powerful  army,  departing  from  Montreal, 
shoirid  proceed,  by  way  of  lake  Champlain,  to  the  Hudson, 
with  the  view  of  obtaining,  by  the  co-operation  of  the  army 
at  New- York,  the  entire  command  of  that  river.  All  com-^ 
munication  .between  the  states  of  New-£ngland,  and  the 
Othelra^  Ifiu^  south  of  them,  would  thus  be  prevented. 
Kither  aectipn',  alone  and  unsupported,  could,  it  was  iup> 


1776. 


REVOLUTIONARY    WAR. 


199 


posed,  be  easily  subdued  ;   and  the  whole  strength  of  the  ^ 
nation  might  then  be  directed  against  the  other. 

Nothing  was  omitted  which  might  i.iSure  the  success  of 
this  project.  Seven  thousand  choice  troops,  to  be  sent  from 
England,  were  allotted  to  the  service.  They  were  sup- 
pUed  with  an  excellent  train  of  brass  artillery,  and  with 
every  thing  which  could  add  to  their  efficiency  as  an  army. 
The  command  was  given  to  Burgoyne,  and  several  officers 
of  distinguished  reputation  were  selected  to  serve  under 
him. 

General  Schuyler  of  New- York,  a  worthy  officer,  whose 
talents  were  solid  but  not  brilliant,  had  the  chief  command 
of  the  northern  department.  He  was  indefatigable  in  mak- 
ing preparations  for  defence  ;  and  such  was  his  zeal  in^he 
cause  of  independence,  and  such  his  deserved  popularity 
in  his  native  state,  that  he  doubtless  accomplished  more 
than  any  other  person  could  have  done.  Still,  at  a  late  pe- 
riod in  the  spring,  the  fortifications  were  incomplete,  and 
but  few  troops  or  munitions  of  war  were  collected. 

Very  early  in  the  season,  Burgoyne  arrived  at  Qjiiebec, 
He  immediately  despatched  colonel  St.  Leger  with  a  party 
of  regulars,  toiies,  and  Indians,  by  the  way  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence to  Oswego,  directing  him  to  proceed  thence  to  the 
Mohawk,  and  join  him  at  Albany,  with  the  main  army, 
augmented,  in  Canada,  to  ten  thousand  men,  he  hastened 
to  Ticonderoga,  before  which  he  appeared  on  the  first  of 
July.  On  his  way,  he  held  a  conference,  at  the  river 
Bouquet,  with  a  large  number  of  savages,  whom  British 
agents  had  persuaded  to  join  the  army. 

The  garrison  of  Ticonderoga,  which  was  then  command- 
ed by  general  St.  Clair,  was  insufficient  to  defend  it  against 
so  powerful  a  force.  It  was  evacuated  in  the  night  of  the 
5th,  the  troops  crossing  lake  Champlain  and  retreating  to- 
wards Castleton,  in  Vermont.  The  enemy  pursued,  and 
on  the  morning  of  the  7th,  their  van  overtook  and  attacked 
the  American  rear  under  colon'els  Francis  and  Warner. 
The  action  was  warm  and  well  contested  ;  but  other  troops 
arriving  to  the  aid  of  the  British,  the  Americans  were 
compelled  to  give  way. 

The  retreat  now  became  precipitate  and  disorderly  ;  the 
pursuit  rapid  and  persevering.  At  length,  the  republican 
army,  diminished  in  number ;  exhausted  by  fatigue,  and 


200 


REVOLLTIONARV    WAR. 


1777. 


dispirited  by  misfortunes,  arrived,  by  various  routes,  at 
fort  Edward,  on  the  Hudson,  the  head-quarters  of  general 
Schuyler.  These  disastrous  events  spread  terror  and  dis- 
may throughout  the  land.  The  people,  ignorant  of  the 
weakness  of  the  army,  attributed  its  retreat  to  cowardice 
or  treachery,  and  trembled  at  the  dangers  which  menaced 
fhem  from  the  British,  Germans,  and  savages. 

The  royal  forces  elated  by  success,  proceeded  through 
the  wilderness  towards  fort  Edward.  Their  progress  was 
sloiv  and  toilsome.  General  Schuyler,  on  their  approach, 
evacuated  the  fort,  and  retired  across  the  Hudson  to  Sara- 
toga. Soon  after,  he  descended  the  river  to  Stillwater ; 
and,  the  British  continuing  to  advance,  he  retreated,  on  the 
14th  of  August,  to  the  islands'  at  the  confluence  of  the  Mo- 
hawk and  Hudson,  a  few  miles  north  of  Troy.  About  the 
same  time,  intelligence  was  received,  that  St.  Leger,  hav- 
ing penetrated  from  Oswego  to  the  Mohawk,  had  laid  siege 
to  fort  Schuyler,  situated  in  the  present  township  of  Rome. 

The  American  general,  before  leaving  fort  Edward,  is- 
sued a  proclamation  calling  to  his  aid  the  militia  of  New- Eng- 
land and  New-York.  Aroused  by  the  danger,  multitudes 
obeyed  his  call.  Vermont  poured  forth  her  daring  Green- 
Mountain  boys ;  the  other  states  of  New-England  their 
hardy  yeomanry,  ardent  in  the  cause  of  freedom  ;  New- 
York,  her  valiant  sons,  indignant  at  this  invasion  of  her 
territory,  and  determined  to  protect  their  property  from 
pillage  and  destruction.  These  beset  the  invaders  on  eve- 
ry side,  impeding  t^eir  progress,  cutting  off  their  supplies, 
and  fatiguing  them  by  incessant  attacks. 

Burgoyne,  tinding  it  difficult  to  transport  his  provisions 
through  the  wilderness,  despatched  colonel  Baum,  with  five 
hundred  Hessians,  to  seize  a  quantity  of  beef  and  flour 
which  the  Americans  had  collected  and  deposited  at  Ben- 
nington. Fortunately,  general  Stark,  at  the  head  of  a  par- 
ty of  New-Hampshire  militia,  had  just  arrived  at  that  place, 
pn  his  way  to  the  main  army,  and  been  joined  by  volunteers 
from  the  immediate  neighborhood.  Baum,  nscertiiining 
their  number  to  be  greater  than  his  own,  halted  near  Ben- 
nington, erected  breastworks,  and  sent  back  for  a  reinforce- 
ment. 

In  several  skirmishes  between  small  detacliments,  the 
militia  were  unitbrmly  successful.     This  sharpening  their 


1777. 


REVOLUTIONARY    WAR. 


201 


courage,  Stark  resolved  to  attack  the  main  body.  On  the 
16th  of  August,  a  fierce  and  sanguinary  battle  took  place. 
For  two  hours,  the  Hessians  fought  bravely,  but  their 
works,  assaulted  by  braver  troops,  were  at  length  entered, 
and  most  of  the  detachment  either  killed  or  made  prisoners. 

Just  after  this  action  had  terminated,  colonel  Breyman 
arrived  with  the  reinforcement  sent  to  Baum.  The  mili- 
tia, apprehending  no  danger,  had  dispersed  in  pursuit  of 
plunder  or  the  fugitives.  By  carelessness  was  nearly  lost 
all  that  by  valor  had  been  gained.  Happily,  at  this  critical 
juncture,  colonel  Warner  arrived  from  Manchester  with 
a  continental  regiment,  and  immediately  fell  upon  Breyman. 
The  militia,  rallying,  hastened  to  his  aid.  The  battle  con- 
tinued until  sunset,  when  the  enemy  retreated,  and  under 
cover  of  the  night  the  greater  part  effected  their  escape. 

The  tide  of  fortune  was  now  turned.  The  decisive  vic- 
tory at  Bennington  diffused  confidence  and  joy.  The 
friends  of  independence,  before  depressed  by  disaster  and 
defeat,  were  now  animated  by  the  prospect  whkh  suddenly 
burst  upon  them,  of  a  glorious  victory  over  an  arrogant  and 
once  dreaded  enemy.  The  greatest  zeal  and  activity  were 
every  where  displayed.  Again  crowds  of  militia  flocked  to 
the  republican  camp. 

In  a  few  days,  cheering  intelligence  arrived  from  fort 
Schuyler.  The  garrison  under  colonels  Gansevoort  and 
Willet,  had,  in  the  midst  of  the  most  discouraging  circum- 
stances, made  a  gallant  defence  against  the  forces  of  St. 
Leger.  General  Herkimer,  marching  with  eight  hundred 
militia  to  their  relief,  fell  into  an  ambuscade,  was  defeated 
and  slain  ;  but  a  larger  party  was  speedily  collected  and  im- 
mediately despatched,  under  general  Arnold,  upon  the  same 
service. 

The  Indians,  alarmed  by  their  approach,  and  fatigued 
and  disgusted  by  the  protracted  labors  of  the  siege,  threat- 
ened to  abandon  St.  Leger,  if  he  would  not  relinquish  his 
enterprise.  He  reluctantly  consented,  and  with  the  loss 
of  his  baggage  and  stores  retreated  to  Montreal.  Burgoyne 
was  thus  deprived  of  his  expected  co-operation,  and  the 
militia  of  that  part  of  the  state  were  enabled  to  join  the 
American  army. 

The- disasters  which  befell  this  army  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  campaign  induced  congress  to  recall  the  generals 


302 


REVOLUTIONARY    WAR. 


1776. 


who  cammanded  it,  and  to  appoint  in  their  places  generals 
Gates,  Lincoln,  and  Arnold.  Having  the  controll  of  means 
more  efficient,  they  acted  with  more  energy  and  boldness. 
Gates,  leaving  the  encampment  on  the  islands,  to  which 
Schuyler  had  retreated,  advanced,  in  the  beginning  of  Sep- 
tember, to  the  neighborhood  of  Stillwater. 

Burgoyne,  after  the  defeat  of  Baum,  was  obliged  to  have 
recourse,  for  provisions,  to  the  magazines  at  fort  George. 
The  laborious  task  of  transporting  them  through  the  wil- 
derness to  the  Hudson  being  accomplished,  he  moved  for- 
ward, and  on  the  17th  of  September,  encamped  within 
four  miles  of  the  American  army. 

The  next  day,  the  first  battle  of  Stillwater  was  fought. 
It  was  begun  by  skirmishes  between  the  scouting  parties 
of  the  two  armies,  which  were  respectively  and  repeatedly 
reinforced,  until  nearly  the  whole  of  each  was  engaged. 
Both  fought  with  determined  resolution  ;  they  alternately 
drove  and  were  driven  by  each  other.  A  continual  blaze 
of  fire  was  kept  up.  Men,  and  particularly  officers,  drop- 
ped every  moment  and  on  every  side.  Night  put  an  end 
to  the  conflict. 

The  American  army  retired  to  their  camp ;  the  British 
lay  on  their  arms  near  the  field  of  battle.  The  loss  of  the 
former  was  three  hundred  and  nineteen  ;  that  of  the  latter 
exceeded  five  hundred.  Each  claimed  the  victory ;  the 
consequences  of  defeat  were  felt  by  the  British  alone. 
Their  hopes  of  success  were  diminished,  their  Indian  al- 
lies,  the  Canadians  and  tories,  were  disheartened  and  de- 
•erted  them. 

Pressed  on  all  sides,  Burgoyne  made  frequent  and  ur- 
gent applications  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  at  New-York,  for 
aid,  and  informed  him,  that  in  expectation  of  such  aid,  he 
would  maintain  his  fM'esent  positition  until  the  12th  of  Oc- 
tober. He  diminished  the  allowance  of  provisions  to  his 
soldiers,  end  having  waited  until  the  7th  without  receiving 
any  intelligence  from  Clinton,  determined  to  make  another 
trial  of  strength  with  his  adversary. 

He  made  dispositions  to  commence  the  action  with  the 
right  wing  of  his  army ;  Gates,  discovering  his  design, 
made  a  sudden  and  vigorous  attack  upon  the  left.  In  a 
short  time,  the  whole  of  both  armies  was  engaged.  This 
battle  was  furious,  obstinate,  and  more  bloody  than  the 


177;.. 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


203 


other.  Arnold  was  eminently  distinguished  for  his  bravery 
and  rashness.  Towards  night  the  enemy,  who  had  fought 
with  desperate  valor,  gave  way.  A  part  of  their  works 
were  stormed  and  taken,  and  more  than  two  hundred  men 
made  prisoners. 

Darkness  put  an  end  to  this  action  also.  The  Ameri- 
cans  lay  upon  their  arms  near  the  enemy's  lines,  intending 
to  renew  the  battle  the  next  day ;  but  Burgoyne,  during 
the  night,  withdrew  to  a  stronger  position.  Gates  forbore 
to  pursue,  believing  that  a  bloodless  victory  was  now  in 
his  power.  .     *  .        V  ». 

In  the  mean  time,  Sir  Henry  Clinton  despatched  general 
Vaughan  with  three  thousand  men,  to  endeavor  to  relieve 
Burgoyne.  He  ascended  the  Hudson,  and  on  the  sixth  of 
October,  assaulted  and  took  fort  Montgomery  ;  but  instead 
of  hastening  forward,  he  consumed  a  whole  week  in  pil- 
laging and  burning  Esopus,  and  other  flourishing  villages 
on  the  river.  He  perhaps  expected  that  this  wanton  de 
struction  of  property  would  draw  off  a  part  of  the  forces 
under  Gates  ;  but  it  had  no  other  effect  than  to  exasperate 
the  inhabitants. 

Burgoyne,  perceiving  that  his  antagonist  was  endeavor- 
ing to  surround  him,  retreated  to  the  heights  of  Saratoga. 
The  Americans  pursued,  keeping  a  sufficient  force  on  the 
east  bank  of  the  river  to  prevent  him  from  crossing.  The 
situation  of  the  British  troops  was  now  distressing  in  the 
extreme.  Many  of  their  most  valued  officers  had  been 
killed.  Their  strength  was  exhausted  by  incessant  exer- 
tion ;  they  were  almost  encircled  by  their  enemy,  and 
were  greatly  annoyed  by  a  continual  and  destructive 
cannonade. 

From  this  forlorn  condition  but  one  mode  of  escape  re- 
mained, a  forced  march  in  the  night  to  fort  George.  This 
expedient  was  resolved  on,  and  preparations  were  made  ; 
but  the  scouts  sent  out  returned  with  intelligence  that  all 
the  passes  were  guarded  by  strong  bodies  of  militia. 

An  account  of  provisions  was  then  taken,  and  a  supply 
for  no  more  than  three  days  was  found  on  hand.  No  hope 
of  rescue  within  that  time  could  be  indulged.  Burgoyne 
summoned  his  principal  officers  to  a  council.  It  is  said 
that  while  deliberating,  a  cannon  ball  crossed  the  table 
around  which  they  sat.    By  their  unanimous  advice,  he 


m 


'^K^': 


€04 


.  *. 


REVOLUTIONARV  WAR. 


I777v 


opened  a  negotiation  with  the  American  general,  and  on 
the  1 7th  of  October,  surrendered  his  whole  army  prison 
crs  of  war. 

Great  were  the  rejoicings  occasioned  by  this  glorious 
victory.  Many  supposed  it  would  terminate  the  contest. 
In  the  joy  of  success,  all  feelings  of  resentment  were  for- 
gotten. From  regard  to  the  feelings  of  the  vanquished, 
general  Gates,  while  they  were  piling  their  arms,  kept 
the  victorious  troops  within  his  camp.  The  British  offi- 
cers, in  social  converse  with  the  Americans,  were  led  to 
forget  their  misfortune,  and  the  troops,  when  on  their 
march  to  Massachusetts,  did  not  receive  from  the  people 
that  vindictive  treatment  which  their  distressing  depreda- 
tions, and  those  of  their  fellow  soldiers  under  Vaughan, 
would  have  excused,  if  not  justified. 

Against  this  band  of  marauders,  general  Gates  marched 
soon  after  the  capitulation  was  signed  ;  but  on  learning  the 
fate  of  Burgoyne,  they  retired  to  New-York.  About  the 
same  time,  the  garrison  left  at  Ticonderoga,  having  ren- 
dered their  cannon  useless,  returned  to  Canada,  and  the 
northern  department  was  restored  to  perfect  tranquillity. 

While  the  exertions  of  the  northern  army  were  reward- 
ed by  brilliant  success,  that  of  the  south,  equally  brave 
and  meritorious,  but  enfeebled  by  the  detachments  which 
Washington  generously  spared  to  Gates,  sustained  distress- 
ing reverses.  The  greatest  was  at  Germantowo,  in  the 
vicinity  of  Philadelphia,  where  the  main  body  of  the  ene- 
my was  stationed. 

Upon  this  body,  at  sunrise,  on  the  fourth  of  October,  the 
American  general  made  a  bold  and  vigorous  attack.  So 
sudden  and  spirited  was  the  onset,  that  the  enemy,  unable 
to  sustain  it,  fled,  and  a  complete  victory  appeared  in  pros- 
pect. But  six  British  companies,  while  retreating,  threw 
themselves  into  a  large  stone  house,  from  which,  in  entire 
safety,  they  poured  a  destructive  fire  upon  the  American 
troops.  The  pursuit  was  arrested,  and  much  time  con- 
sumed in  a  vain  attempt  to  demolish  this  fortress. 

The  fugitives  rallied,  and  turned  upon  the  assailants'. 
Confusion  followed,  and  a  thick  fog,  which  that  moment 
arose,  increased  it.  The  different  divisions,  ignorant  of 
the  positions  and  success  of  the  others,  uncertain  even  as 
to  ikeir  own,  acted  wifh  indecision  and  timidity.   A  retreat 


1777. 


1777.  ' 


*.' 


REVOLUTIONAHY  WAR. 


205 


was  therefore  directed,  nnd  the  troops  withdrew  in  good 
order. 

In  this  action,  in  which  fortune  snatched  victory  from 
the  grasp  of  the  Americans,  they  sustained  a  loss  of  twelve 
hundred  men ;  that  of  the  British  was  less  than  six  hun- 
dred. But  the  vanquished  sustained  no  loss  of  reputation 
nor  confidence.  Their  country  applauded  the  boldness 
of  the  attempt,  and  the  enemy  felt  higher  respect  for  their 
courage  and  discipline. 

The  British  army  soon  after  left  Gcrmantown,  and 
marched  to  attack  the  American  posts  on  the  river  Dela- 
ware below  Philadelphia.  On  the  22d  of  October,  a  body 
of  twelve  hundred  Hessians,  commanded  by  count  Donop, 
made  an  intrepid  assault  upon  the  fortiiications  at  Red 
Bank.  They  were  repulsed  with  great  loss,  and  their 
gallant  leader  killed. 

Fort  MifiBin,  on  Mud  Island,  was  next  attacked.  For 
six  days  it  was  bravely  defended.  It  was  then  evacuated, 
the  works  having  been  almost  demolished  by  the  enemy's 
artillery.  Preparations  being  made  for  a  second  assault, 
with  a  much  larger  force,  upon  the  post  at  Red  Bank,  that 
was  also  evacuated,  and  thus  was  opened  n  free  communi- 
cation between  the  British  army  and  their  fleet,  which 
had  siailed  round  to  the  mouth  of  the  Delaware. 

After  several  movements  of  the  respective  armies, 
which  had  no  important  result,  general  Washington  with- 
drew to  winter  quarters  in  the  woods  of  Valley  Forge. 
His  troops  were  destitute  of  shoes,  and  might  have  been 
tracked  by  the  blood  of  their  feet.  They  passed  the  win- 
ter in  huts,  suffered  extreme  distress  from  want  of  cloth- 
ing and  of  food,  but  endured  their  privations  without  a 
murmur.  How  strong  must  have  been  their  love  of  liber- 
ty !  With  what  lively  gratitude  ought  a  prosperous  coun- 
try, indebted  to  them  for  the  most  valuable  blessings,  to 
remember  their  sufferings  and  services  ! 


18 


.5*. 


.Jft 


>•  f-  -if'  ■:> 


H  f 


Whii 
field,  or 
the  perl 
pendenc 
such  as 
given  b) 
gatea. 
propo8e( 
obstaclei 
The  ' 
congress 
blies,  bo 
each  otfe 
their  libi 
who,  wh 
on  »var, 
sovereigi 
authoriz( 
amount  ( 
its  just  p 
But  so 
centl^^  as 
congress 
ilirectly  i 
sole  righ 
manner  a 
Congn 
missary  ( 
committe 
of  tactics 
general  s 
fo  that  o/ 


CHAPTER  XX. 


CAMPAIGN  OF  1778. 


While  the  American  armies  were  contending  in  the 
field,  or  suffering  in  the  camp,  congress  were  occupied  in 
the  performance  of  duties  important  to  the  cause  or  inde- 
pendence. At  first  this  body  possessed  no  powers,  but 
such  as  were  conferred  by  the  credentials  and  instructions 
giren  by  the  state  legislatures,  to  their  respective  dele- 
gates. Early  in  1776,  a  confederation  of  the  state!  was 
proposed ;  but  until  the  15th  of  Noyembet,  1777,  all  the 
obstacles  to  the  measure  could  not  be  surmounted. 

The  "  Articles  of  the  Confederation*'  then  adopted  by 
congress,  and  subsequently  ratified  by  the  seTeral  assem- 
blies, bound  the  states  in  a  firm  league  of  friendship  with 
each  other,  for  their  common  defence  and  the  security  of 
their  liberties.  Dele^tes  were  to  be  annually  appointed, 
who,  when  assembled  in  congress,  were  authonzed  to  carry 
on  war,  to  make  peace,  and  to  exercise  all  the  powers  of 
sovereignty  in  relation  to  foreign  nations.  They  were  also 
authorized  to  determine  the  number  of  men,  anJ3  the 
amount  of  money  to  be  raised,  and  to  assign  to  each  state 
its  just  proportion. 

But  so  unwilling  were  the  states  to  relinquish  their  re- 
cently assumed  independence,  that  they  withdrew  from 
congress  the  authority  to  make  laws  which  should  operate 
(Urectly  upon  the  people  ;  and  reserved  to  themselves  the^ 
sole  right  of  raising  their  proportions  of  money  in  such' 
manner  as  each  might  deem  most  expedient. 

Congress  also  effected  a  thorough  reform  of  the  com- 
missary department,  in  which  scandalous  frauds  had  been 
committed.  And  in  order  to  introduce  a  uniform  system 
of  tactics  and  discipline,  they  resolved  that  an  inspector- 
general  should  be  appointed.  Subsequently  they  elfeted 
fo  that  office  the  Baron  Steuben,  a  native  of  Prusftlai;^|io 


'•  ii.i 


r  > 


-Jlfi 


208 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


1778, 


bad  served  in  a  high  station  in  the  army  of  Frederic  the 
great,  and  was  well  versed  in  the  system  of  manoeuvres  in- 
troduced by  that  celebrated  commander. 

The  signal  victory  at  Saratoga  exalted  the  reputation  oi 
the  confederated  states,  in  every  part  of  Europe.  The 
French  ministry  no  longer  hesitated  to  acknowledge  their 
independence.  On  the  sixth  of  February,  they  concluded 
with  the  American  commissioners,  treaties  of  commerce 
and  of  alliance,  in  which  they  generously  assented  to 
terms  highly  advantageous  to  the  states.  This  event,  so 
flattering  to  the  hopes  and  the  pride  of  the  people,  occa- 
sioned the  liveliest  joy,  and  the  most  ardent  gratitude  to 
France. 

Among  the  people  of  Great  Britain,  the  defeat  of  their 
favorite  general  produced  astonishment,  dismay,  and  in- 
dignation. The  most  brilliant  success  was  anticipated  ;  the 
most  ignominious  result  had  occurred.  The  pride  of  the 
nation  was  humbled,  and  they  who  had  disapproved  of  the 
war,  poured  upon  the  ministry  a  torrent  of  invective.  To 
increase  the  bitterness  of  their  chagrin,  they  soon  learned 
the  course  which  their  hereditary  enemy  and  rival  had 
resolved  to  pursue. 

It  was  now  determined  in  the  cabinet,  to  grant  to  Ame- 
rica all  that  she  had  demanded,  in  the  beginning  of  the 
contest.  An  act  was  passed,  declaring  that  parliament 
would  not,  in  future,  impose  any  tax  upon  the  colonies ; 
and  commissioners  were  sent  over,  authorized  to  proclaim 
a  repeal  of  all  the  offensive  statutes,  and  to  treat  with  the 
constituted  authorities  of  America. 

The  commissioners,  arriving  at  Philadelphia  in  the 
spring,  communicated  to  congress  the  terms  oflfered  by 
Great  Britain,  which  were  at  once  unanimously  rejected. 
Failing  in  the  use  of  direct  and  honorable  means,  they 
attempted  bribery  and  corruption.  To  Joseph  Reed,  a 
general  in  the  army  and  a  member  of  congress,  an  offer 
was  made  of  ten  thousand  pounds  sterling,  and  any  office 
within  his  majesty^s  gift  in  the  colonies,  if  he  would  en- 
deavor to  effect  a  reunion  of  the  two  countries.  "  I  am 
not  worth  purchasing,"  he  nobly  replied,  ♦*  but  such  as  I 
am,  the  king  of  Great  Britain  is  not  rich  enough  to  do  it.'* 

On  receiving  official  notification  of  the  treaties  conclud- 
ed with  her  revolted  colonies,  Great  Britain  declared  wav 


% 


1778. 


BEVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


209 


against  France ;  and  the  ministry,  presuming  that  lisist- 
ance  would  be  sent  them,  transmitted  orders  by  the  com- 
missioners, that  Philadelphia  should  be  evacuated,  and  the 
royal  troops  concentrated  at  New-York.  The  execution 
of  these  orders  devolved  upon  sir  Henry  Clinton,  who, 
general  Howe  having  resigned,  had  been  appointed  com- 
mander-in-chief. On  the  18th  of  June,  the  enemy  quitted 
the  city,  and  marched  slowly  eastward. 

Washington,  leaving  his  huts  in  the  forest,  hung  upon 
the  rear  of  the  British  army,  watching  for  a  favorable  op- 
portunity to  offer  buttle.  On  arriving  at  Monmouth,  in 
New-Jersey,  general  Lee,  who  had  lately  been  exchanged, 
was  ordered  to  take  the  command  of  five  thousand  men, 
nnd,  early  in  the  morning  of  the  28th,  unless  there  should 
be  powerful  reasons  to  the  contrary,  to  commence  an  at- 
tack. He  was  assured,  that  the  residue  of  the  army 
should  follow  and  give  him  support. 

Lee  made  dispositions  to  attack  accordingly,  but  per- 
ceiving the  main  body  of  the  enemy  returning  to  meet 
him,  he  retreated.  Washington,  advancing  to  render  the 
promised  support,  saw  him  retiring,  rode  forward  and  ad- 
dressed him  in  language  implying  disapprobation  of  his 
conduct.  He  then  directed  him  to  form  his  men,  on 
ground  which  he  pointed  out,  and  there  oppose  the  pro- 
gress of  the  enemy. 

These  orders  were  executed  with  firmness.  A  warm 
engagement  ensued,  and  Lee,  when  forced  from  the 
ground,  brought  off  his  ttoops  in  good  order.  Washington, 
at  this  moment,  arrived  with  the  main  hody  of  his  army, 
which  joined  in  the  action,  and  compelled  the  enemy 
to  fall  back  to  the  position  from  which  Lee  had  been 
driven. 

The  day  had  been  intensely  hot;  it  was  now  almost 
dark,  and  the  troops  were  much  fatigued.  Further  opet 
rations  were  therefore  deferred  until  the  next  mornitig. 
In  the  night.  Sir  Henry  Clinton  silently  left  his  position, 
and  continued  his  march  to  New-York.  His  loss  amount- 
ed to  near  five  hundred  men  ;  that  of  the  Americans  to 
three  hundred.  Heat  and  excessive  fatigue  proved  iatal 
to  many. 

Lee,  irritable  and  proud,  could  not  forget  the  manner  in 
which  Washington  bad  addressed  him;  and  in  twrpas- 

18* 


■*». 


II 

Km  ' 

I 


210 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


i77e. 


sionate  letters,  demanded  reparation.  A  court  martial  was 
instituted  ;  he  was  found  guilty  of  misconduct  on  the  day 
of  battle,  and  of  disrespect  to  the  commander-in-chief, 
and  was  suspended  from  command  for  one  year.  He  never 
afterwards  joined  the  army,  but  died  in  seclr.sion  just  before 
the  close  of  the  war. 

The  enemy  having  entered  New-York,  Washington 
conducted  his  army  to  White  Plains.  Congress  returned 
to  Philadelphia ;  and  in  July  received,  with  inexpressible 
joy,  ia  letter  from  the  Count  de  Estainge,  announcing  his 
arrival  on  the  coast  of  the  United  States,  with  a  large 
fleet,  which  had  been  sent  by  the  king  of  France,  to  assist 
them  in  their  struggle  for  independence.  ^ 

The  count  intended  to  surprise  atlmiral  Howe  in  the 
Delaware,  but  adverse  winds  detained  him  on  the  passage, 
until  the  British  fleet  had  sailed  for  New-York.  He  ap- 
peared before  that  harbor,  but  on  sounding  found  that  his 
largest  ships  could  not  enter  it.  A  combined  attack,  by 
land  and  water,  upon  the  British  forces  at  Newport,  in 
Rhode  Island,  was  then  projected. 

Qeneral  Sullivan,  who  had  been  appointed  to  command 
the  troop?,  called  upon  the  militia  of  New-England  to  aid 
him  in  the  enterprise.  His  army  soon  amounted  to  ten 
thousand  men,  and,  as  he  was  supported  by  the  fleet,  he 
felt  confident  of  success.  On  the  ninth  of  August,  he  took 
a  position  on  the  north  end  of  Rhode  Island,  and  afterwards 
moved  nearer  to  Newport.  Admiral  Howe,  having  re- 
ceived a  reinforcement,  now  appeared  before  the  harbor, 
and  the  count  instantly  put  to  sea  to  attack  him. 

While  making  the  preparatory  manoeuvres,  a  furious 
storm  came  on,  which  damaged  and  dispersed  both  fleets. 
As  soon  as  the  weather  would  permit,  each  commander 
sought  the  port  from  which  he  had  sailed.  The  army, 
intent  upon  their  own  object,  witnessed  with  joy  the  re- 
turn of  the  French  fleet ;  and  great  was  their  disappoint- 
ment when  the  count  announced  his  intention  of  proceed- 
ing to  Boston  to  refit.  The  American  officers  remonstrated, 
but  he  was  inflexible  and  departed. 

The  army,  deserted  by  the  fleet,  could  remain  no 
longer,  with  safety,  on  the  island,  as  the  enemy  might 
easily  transport  by  water  large  reinforcements  from  New- 
York  to  Newport.    General  Sullivan  immediately  retreat- 


4 


9- 


1778. 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


211 


P 


ed  to  his  first  position.  He  was  pursued,  and  shortly  after 
halting,  was  attacked  by  the  enemy.  They  were  gallantly 
resisted  and  repulsed  with  loss. 

The  next  day,  the  two  armies  cannonaded  each  other, 
and  the  succeeding  night  the  American  general,  deceiving 
the  enemy  by  a  show  of  resistance  to  the  last,  made  a 
skilful  retreat  to  the  continent.  A  few  hours  afterwards, 
the  British  received  such  an  augmentation  of  their  force, 
that  all  resistance  on  the  part  of  the  Americans  would 
have  been  vain.  At  the  close  of  the  season,  the  French 
fleet  sailed  to  the  West  Indies. 

During  this  year,  the  British  troops  and  their  allies,  dis- 
played in  several  instances,  a  degree  of  barbarity  seldom 
equalled  in  contests  between  civilized  nations.  That  they 
were  contending  against  revolted  subjects,  seemed  to  re- 
lease them,  in  their  view,  from  all  regard  to  the  common 
usages  of  war.  The  late  alliance  with  France,  the  hated  ri* 
val  of  their  nation,  increased  their  hostility.  Instead  of 
striving  to  conquer  an  honorable  foe,  they  thirsted  as  for 
vengeance  on  a  criminal  and  outlaw. 

With  such  vindictive  feelings,  Wyoming,  a  happy  and 
6ourishing  settlement  in  Pennsylvania,  was  attacked  by  a 
band  of  tories  and  Indians.  The  men  were  butchered, 
the  houses  burned,  and  the  cattle  driven  off  or  killed. 
Those  who  had  been  made  widows  and  orphans  were  left 
without  shelter  and  without  food.  Seldom  has  war  spread 
distress  and  ruin  over  a  more  delightful  region. 

New-Bedford,  Martha's  Vineyard,  Eggharbor,  and  Cher- 
ryvalley,  were  also  visited  and  ravaged  by  the  enemy. 
All  the  property  within  reach  was  destroyed,  and  multi- 
tudes of  peaceful  and  unoffending  inhabitants  were  reduced 
to  poverty  and  wretchedness. 

But  in  no  instance  did  the  enemy  evince  more  ferocious, 
unrelenting  cruelty  than  in  their  attack  upon  colonel  Boy- 
ler's  troop  of  light  dragoons.  While  asleep  in  a  barn,  at 
Tappan,  they  were  surprised  by  a  party  under  general 
Grey,  who  commanded  his  soldiers  to  use  the  bayonet 
only,  and  to  give  the  rebels  no  quarter.  Incapable  of  de- 
fence, they  sued  for  mercy.  But  the  most  pathetic  sup- 
plications were  heard  without  awakening  compassion  io 
the  oommander.  Neiarly  one  half  of  the  troop  were  kiU 
led.    To  many,  repealed  thrusts  were  barbarously  given 


If 


a 


212 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


1778. 


as  long  as  signs  of  life  remained.  Several  who  had  nine, 
ten,  and  eleven  stabs  through  the  body,  and  were  left  for 
dead,  afterwards  recovered.  A  few  escaped,  and  forty 
were  saved  by  the  humanity  of  a  British  captain,  who  dared 
to  disobey  the  orders  of  his  general. 

Late  in  the  fall,  the  army  under  Washington  erected 
huts  near  Middlebrook,  in  New-Jersey,  in  which  the^' 
passed  the  winter.  In  this  campaign,  but  little  on  either 
£>ide  was  accomplished.  The  alliance  with  France  gave 
birth  to  expectations  which  events  did  not  fulfil ;  yet  the 
presence  of  her  fleets  on  the  coast  deranged  the  plans  of 
the  enemy,  and  induced  them  to  relinquish  a  part  of  their 
conquests.  At  the  close  of  the  year,  it  was  apparent  that 
Great  Britain  had  made  no  progress  in  the  accomplishment 
of  her  purposes. 


.«•--'» 


y     -'  ■ 


•>   ^-^:r-  - 


%> 


-    .   -3; 


* 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


:       t^  t'iO. .,  '.,  -.  ■ 


CAMPAIGN    OF  177&. 


A. 


The  campaign  of  1779,  was  distinguiehed  by  a  change 
of  the  theatre  of  war,  from  the  northern  to  the  southern 
section  of  the  confederacy.  Thither  the  enemy  were  in- 
vited by  the  prospect  of  easier  victory.  The  country  was 
rendered  weak  by  its  scattered  population,  by  the  muhi- 
tude  of  slaves,  and  by  the  number  of  tories  intermingled 
with  the  whigs. 

Near  the  close  of  the  preceding  year,  lieutenant-colonel 
Campbell,  with  2500  men,  sailed  from  New-York  to  the 
coast  of  Georgia,  and  landed  his  troops.  Marching  to- 
wards Savannah,  the  capital,  he  met  on  his  route  a  small 
body  of  Americans,  whom  he  defeated,  and  immediately 
took  possession  of  the  city.  A  detachment  from  Florida 
under  general  Prevost  invested  Sunbury,  which,  after  the 
fall  of  the  capital,  surrenderd  at  discretion.  These  were 
the  only  military  posts  in  Georgia.  All  the  troops  that 
could  escape  retreated  into  South-Carolina. 

Soon  after  the  conquest  of  Georgia,  general  Lincoln  took 
command  of  the  American  troops  in  the  southern  depart- 
ment. In  April,  leaving  South-Carolina,  he  marched  into 
the  interior  of  Georgia ;  upon  which  the  British  army, 
entering  the  state  he  had  left,  invested  Charleston,  the 
capital.  Lincoln  hastened  back  to  its  defence.  On  hear- 
ing of  his  approach,  the  enemy  retired  to  Stono  ferry. 
Thither  Lincoln  pursued  them.  An  indecisive  action  was 
fought ;  and  a  few  days  afterwards,  they  continued  their 
retreat  to  Savannah. 

The  heat  of  the  season  suspended  farther  operations 
until  September.  Count  De  Estainge,  with  a  fleet  carry- 
ing  6000  troops,  then  arrived  on  the  coast.  The  two 
armies,  in  concert,  laid  siege  to  Savannah.     At  the  expi- 


m 


214 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


1779. 


ration  of  a  month,  the  count,  impatient  of  delay,  insisted 
that  the  siege  should  be  abandoned,  or  that  a  combined  as- 
sault upon  the  enemy's  works  should  immediately  be  made. 
General  Lincoln  determined  upon  an  assault.  Great  gal- 
lantry was  displayed  by  the  French  and  American,  but 
greater  by  (he  British  troops.  They  repulsed  the  assail- 
ants, killing  and  wounding  nearly  a  thousand  men,  and  sus- 
taining, on  their  part,  but  little  loss.  The  count  Pulaski, 
a  celebrated  Polish  nobleman,  in  the  service  of  the  states, 
was  mortally  wounded.  The  next  day  the  siege  was  raised, 
th^  French  returning  home,  and  the  Americans  to  South- 
Carolina. 

In  the  midst  of  these  events,  general  Matthews,  sailing 
from  New-York,  conducted  an  expedition  against  Virginia. 
On  the  10th  of  May,  he  took  possession  of  Portsmouth, 
without  opposition,  and  ravaged,  for  two  weeks,  that  city 
and  the  adjacent  country.  The  booty  obtained,  and  the 
property  destroyed,  were  of  immense  value.  Before  the 
etpiration  of  May,  the  party  returned  to  New- York. 

Early  in  the  season,  colonel  Clarke,  of  Virginia,  who 
was  stationed  at  Kaskaskia,  on  the  Missisippi,  achieved  an 
enterprise  conspicuous  for  boldness  of  design,  and  evinc- 
ing uncommon  hardihood  in  its  execution.  With  only  one 
hundred  and  thirty  men,  he  penetrated  through  the  wilder- 
ness, to  St.  Vincents,  a  British  post  on  the  Wabash,  in  the 
heart  of  the  Indian  country.  His  route  lay  across  deep 
swamps  and  morasses.  For  four  or  five  miles  the  party 
waded  through  water,  often  as  high  as  the  breast.  After  a 
march  of  sixteen  days,  they  reached  the  town,  which, 
having  no  intimation  of  their  approach,  surrendered  with- 
out resistance.  A  short  time  after,  the  fort  capitulated. 
This  fortunate  achievment  arrested  nn  expedition  which 
the  enemy  had  projected  against  the  frontiers  of  Virginia, 
and  detached  several  tribes  of  Indians  from  the  British  in- 
terest. 

The  atrocities  committed  at  Wyoming,  and  at  several 
settlements  in  New- York,  cried  aloud  for  vengeance.— 
Congress  assembling  an  army  of  4000  men  ga;e  the  com- 
mand of  it  to  general  Sullivan,  and  directed  him  to  conduct 
it  into  the  country  inhabited  by  the  savages,  and  retort 
wpon  them  their  own  system  of  warfare.  Of  this  army,  one 
division  marched  from  the  Mohawk,  the  other  from  Wyo* 


/ 


-** 


1779. 


REVOLUTIONARY   WAR. 


215 


ining,  and  both  forming  a  junction  on  the  Susquehannah, 
proceeded,  on  the  22d  of  August,  towards  the  Seneca  lake. 

On  an  advantageous  position,  the  Indians,  in  conjunction 
with  300  tories,  had  erected  fortifications  to  oppose  their 
progress.  These  were  assaulted ;  the  enemy  alter  a  slight 
resistance,  gave  way,  and  disappeared  in  the  woods.  As 
the  army  advanced  into  the  western  part  of  the  state  of 
New- York,  that  region  now  so  fertile  and  populous,  the 
Indians  deserted  their  towns,  the  appearance  of  which 
denoted  a  higher  state  of  civilization  than  had  ever  before 
been  witnessed  in  the  North  American  wilderness.  The 
houses  were  commodious  ;  the  apple  and  peach*trees  nu- 
merous, and  the  crops  of  corn  then  growing  abundant.  All 
were  destroyed  ;  not  a  vestige  of  human  industry  was 
permitted  to  exist. 

Having  accomplished  this  work  of  vengeance,  severe  but 
deserved,  and  essential  to  the  future  safety  of  the  whites, 
general  Sullivan  returned  to  Easton,  in  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  arrived  about  the  middle  of  October.  His  whole 
loss,  by  sickness  and  the  enemy,  amounted  to  but  forty  * 
men. 

On  the  first  of  July,  general  Tryon  sailed  from  New- 
York  with  a  large  body  of  troops,  and  landing  on  the  coast 
of  Connecticut,  plundered  New-Haven,  and  laid  Fairfield 
and  Norwalk  in  ashes.  Before  his  return,  general  Wayne, 
with  a  detachment  from  the  American  army,  made  a  daring 
assault  upon  Stoney  Point,  a  strongly  fortified  post  on  the 
Hudson.  About  twelve  at  night,  the  troops,  with  unloaded 
muskets,  arrived  before  the  lines.  They  were  received 
with  a  tremendous  discharge  of  grape-shot  and  musketry. 
Rushing  forward,  they  mounted  the  waits,  and  using  the 
bayonet  only,  were  soon  in  complete  possession  of  the 
fort. 

A  more  gallant  exploit  has  seldom  been  performed ;  and 
the  humanity  of  the  victors  was  equal  to  their  valor.  Not- 
withstanding the  devastations  in  Connecticut,  and  the 
butchery  of  Baylor's  troop,  the  scene  of  which  was  near, 
not  an  individual  sufiered  i^fter  resistance  had  ceased.  Of 
the  enemy,  sixty  were  killed,  and  upwards  of  five  hundred 
made  prisoners.  The  Iosr  of  the  Americans  was  compa- 
ratively small.  A  gold  medal,  presented  by  congress,  re- 
warded the  heroism  of  the  victor. 


is 


216 


REVOLUTIONARY   WAR. 


1779. 


At  the  dose  of  the  season,  the  northern  army  retired 
into  winter-quarters,  one  division  nenr  Morristown,  in  New- 
Jersey,  and  the  other  in  the  vicinity  of  Westpoint,  an  iiri' 
portant  post  in  the  highlands.  Here  they  endured  severe 
and  constant  suffering  from  cold,  and  nakedness,  and  hun- 
ger. Sometimes  half  the  usual  allowance,  often  less  was 
distributed  to  the  troops  ;  and  more  than  once  the  proTi- 
sions  were  wholly  exhausted. 

Application  for  relief  was  made  to  the  magistrates  of  the 
nteighborhood,  and  intimations  were  given  that  provisions, 
so  pressing  were  the  wants  of  the  army,  would  be  seized 
by  force,  if  not  furnished  voluntarily.  The  magistrates 
promptly  attended  to  the  call.  They  levied  contributions 
arbitrarily  from  the  people,  who  submitted  to  these  ex- 
actions with  a  degree  of  patriotism  equalled  only  by  that 
displayed  by  the  soldiers  in  the  patient  endurance  of  dis- 
tress. 

Derangement  in  the  finances  produced  these  sufferings. 
Large  sums  had  been  annually  raised  and  expended  ;  and 
the  ability  of  the  people  to  pay  taxes  had  progressively  de- 
creased. To  supply  deficiencies,  paper  money,  to  the 
amount  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  millions  of  dollars 
had  been  issued.  This  gradually  depreciated,  and  at  the 
close  of  1779,  thirty  dollars  in  paper  were  of  no  more  va- 
lue than  one  in  specie.  To  purchase  provisions  with  this 
money  was  at  first  difficult,  and  then  impossible  ;  and  con- 
gress now  found  their  funds  and  their  credit  exhausted. 

A  change  of  system  was  necessary.  For  the  supply  of 
the  army,  each  state  was  directed  to  furnish  a  certain  quan- 
tity of  provisions  and  forage.  Loans  were  solicited  from 
the  people,  and  nearly  a  million  of  dollars,  was  raised  by 
bills  drawn  upon  the  American  agents  in  Europe,  in  anti- 
cipation of  loans  which  they  had  been  authorized  to  pro- 
cure. These  expedients  afforded  but  temporary  and  par- 
tial relief. 

No  class  of  persons  suffered  more  from  the  depreciation 
of  paper  money  than  the  army,  and  especially  the  officers. 
The  pay,  even  those  of  the  highest  grade,  was  rendered 
insufficient  to  provide  them  with  necessary  clothing.  Dis- 
content began  to  pervade  the  whole  army,  it  required  all 
the  enthusiastic  patriotism  which  distinguishes  the  soldier 
of  principle  ;  all  that  ardent  attachment  to  freedom  which 


ired 

lew- 

\  itri' 

vere 

hun- 

}  was 

rovi- 


1779. 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


217 


brought  them  into  the  field  ;  all  the  influence  of  the  com- 
mander-in-chief, whom  they  almost  adored,  to  retain  in  the 
service  men  who  felt  themselves  cruelly  neglected  b^  he 
country  whose  battles  they  fought. 


■■*! 


m 


■•<ril/^ifi-- 


■'^. 


'^: :: 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


CAMPAIGN    OF   1780. 


Tub  first  military  operations  of  the  enemy,  in  the  year 
1780,  were  directed  against  Charleatoo,  the  capital  of 
South-Carolina.  In  the  beginning  of  February,  sir  Henry 
Clinton  appeared  before  that  place,  at  the  head  of  a  part  of 
his  army.  The  assembly,  which  was  then  sitting,  delegiit- 
ed  to  governor  Rutkdge,  a  patriot  of  splendid  talenti,  and 
to  his  council,  *'the  power  to  do  every  thing  necessary  for 
the  public  good,  except  taking  away  the  life  of  a  citizeti," 
and  adjourned.  Armed  with  this  extraordinary  power,  he 
made  great  exertions  to  call  into  action  the  strength  of  the 
state,  and  to  place  its  capital  in  a  posture  of  defence. 

The  people  of  the  country  disregarded  his  repeated  cMls. 
Not  more  than  two  hundred  repaired  to  Charleston.  The 
garrison,  commanded  by  general  Lincoln,  consisted  of  a 
body  of  militia  from  the  country,  of  the  citizens,  of  one 
thousand  North-Carolina  militia,  and  of  two  thousdhd  regu- 
lars. The  number  of  the  enemy,  when  «11  their  reinforce- 
ments had  arrived,  amounted  to  nine  thousand. 

On  the  first  of  April,  the  siege  was  begun  in  form,  by  the 
erection  of  works  at  the  distance  of  eleven  hundred  yards 
from  the  city.  On  the  9th,  the  fleet,  propelled  by  a  strong 
wind,  passed  the  forts  on  Sullivan's  Island,  without  stop- 
ping to  return  their  fire,  and  gained  entire  command  of  the 
harbor.  On  the  14th,  lieutenant-colonel  Tarleton  sur- 
prised a  body  of  cavalry,  which,  to  preserve  a  communi- 
cation with  the  country,  had  been  stationed  at  Monk's  cor- 
ner. Soon  afler,  batteries  were  erected  nearer  the  city, 
from  which  the  fire  was  incessant  and  destructive. 

An  offer  to  capitulate  was  then  made  ;  but  the  British 
commander  refused  to  accept  the  terms  proposed.  On  his 
part,  terms  were  offered,  which  were  rejected  by  general 


'220 


REVOLUTIONARY   WAR. 


1780 


Linculii.  The  siege  was  then  tressed  with  increased  vigor, 
and  approaches  made  to  within  musket-shot  of  the  Ameri- 
can lines.  The  soldiers  within  were  often  killed  at  theii 
guns  by  the  enemy's  marksmen. 

The  citizens,  whose  intercession  had  induced  general 
Lincoln  to  determine  to  defend  the  place,  perceiving  that 
preparations  for  an  assault  were  in  forwardness,  and  seeing 
no  hope  of  relief  or  escape,  now  requested  him  to  accept 
the  terms  which  sir  Henry  Clinton  had  proposed.  A  ne- 
gotiation between  the  two  commanders  was,  in  consequence, 
opened,  and  on  the  12th  of  May  the  capitulation  was 
signed. 

The  capital  having  surrendered,  measures  were  adopt- 
ed to  overawe  the  inhabitants  of  the  country,  and  induce 
them  to  return  to  their  allegiance  to  the  king.  Garrisons 
were  placed  in  different  parts  of  the  state,  and  2000  men 
were  despatched  towards  North-Carolina,  to  repel  several 
parties  of  militia,  who  were  hastening  to  the  relief  ol 
Charleston.  Colonel  Tarleton,  making  a  rapid  march  oi 
one  hundred  and  five  miles  in  fifty-four  hours,  met,  at  the 
Waxhaws,  and  attacked  one  of  these  parties,  commanded 
by  colonel  Buford.  His  force  being  superior  was  soon 
victorious.  The  vanquished,  ceasing  to  resist,  implored 
for  quarter.  Their  cries  were  disregarded.  Upward* 
of  two  hundred  and  fifty  were  killed,  or  too  badly  wounded 
to  be  removed  from  the  field.  This  barbarous  massacre 
spread  dismay  throughout  the  country,  and  gave  a  sangui 
nary  character  to  future  conflicts. 

To  avoid  being  treated  as  enemies,  the  greater  part  of 
the  inhabitants  either  gave  their  parole  as  prisoners,  or 
submitted  to  become  subjects  of  the  king.  Sir  Henry  Clin- 
ton, afterwards,  by  proclamation,  discharged  the  former 
from  their  parole  and  called  upon  all  to  embody  as  militia 
in  the  service  of  Great  Britain.  Indignant  at  this  dishonora 
ble  conduct,  which  left  them  only  the  alternative  of  fightini; 
for  or  against  their  country,  multitudes,  seizing  their  arms, 
resolved  on  a  vindictive  war  with  their  invaders. 

A  party  who  had  taKen  refuge  in  North-Carolina,  chost' 
colonel  Sumpter  their  leader.  At  the  head  of  these,  he 
returned  to  his  own  state,  attacked  and  defeated  several 
scattered  detachments  from  the  British  army.  In  one  en- 
gagement, so  decisive  was  his  victory,  that  nine  only  out 


ireo. 


REVOLUTIONARY    WAR. 


221 


of  nearly  Ihreo  hundred  escaped.  By  a  succession  of  gal- 
huit  enterprises,  he  reanimated  the  finnd?  of  freedom,  und 
a  spirit  of  determined  hostility  to  Gre  it  Britain  was  again 
manifested  in  every  partof  the  state. 

This  spirit  was  cherished  hy  the  approach,  from  the 
north,  of  400C  men,  principally  continentals,  under  the 
command  of  general  Gates.  On  their  march  through  a 
sterile  country,  they  endured  ail  the  evils  and  distresses  of 
extreme  famine.  Lord  Cornwallis,  whom  Clinton,  on  his 
return  to  New-York,  had  left  commanderMn*chiet\  hasten- 
ed  to  oppose,  in  person,  this  victorious  general.  He  placed 
himself  at  the  head  of  two  thousand  veteran  troops  who 
had  before  been  stationed  at  Camden,  on  the  northern  bor- 
der of  the  state. 

On  the  night  of  the  15th  of  August,  he  marched,  with  his 
whole  force,  to  attack  the  Americans  in  their  camp  at  Cler- 
mont. They,  at  the  same  hour,  began  to  move  towards 
Camden.  The  advanced  parties  met  in  the  night  and  en- 
gaged. In  several  tikirmishes  which  took  place,  the  Bri- 
tish obtained  the  advantage.  This  made  a  deep  impression 
on  the  militia,  whose  spirits  were  depressed  by  gloomy 
forebodings. 

When  the  morning  dawned,  the  enemy  advanced  to  the 
attack.  At  the  first  onset,  the  Virginia  militia  fled  from 
the  field,  and  their  example  was  followed  by  others.  The 
continentals,  though  left  alone  to  contend  wkh  superior 
numbers,  maintained  the  conflict  with  great  firmness.  For 
a  short  time,  they  had  the  advantage  of  their  opponents, 
but  were  at  length  overpowered,  and  the  flight  became 
general. 

The  fugitives  were  pursued  by  Tarleton's  legion  with 
relentless  fury.  When  all  were  killed,  captured  or  dis- 
persed, the  pursuers,  with  speed  unchecked,  took  the  route 
towards  Sumpter's  encampment.  This  active  partizan, 
who  had  lately  been  victorious  in  a  skirmish,  retreated 
precipitately,  on  hearing  of  the  defeat  of  Gates. 

At  the  Catawba  ford,  supposing  he  was  beyond  danger, 
he  hailed,  that  his  troops,  who  were  fatigued,  might  re- 
pose. His  sentinels  slept  at  their  posts,  and  the  legion  rode 
into  his  camp  before  preparations  could  be  made  for  de- 
fence. Between  three  and  four  hundred  were  killed  or 
wounded.     The  remainder  were  dispersed  in  the  woods ; 

19* 


I 


;i 


^^ 


222 


^ 


*■ 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  1780. 

three  hundred  prisoners  were  released  ;  all  the  baggage 
and  stores  fell  into  the  power  of  the  victors. 

Again  supposing  the  state  to  be  subdued,  Cornwallis 
adopted  measures  of  extreme  severity  to  suppress  every 
latent  inclination  to  revolt.  He  directed  that  all  who,  hav- 
ing once  submitted,  had  lately  given  aid  to  the  armies  of 
congress,  should  be  deprived  of  their  property  and  impri- 
soned ;  and  that  all,  who  had  once  born  arms  with  the  Bri- 
tish, and  afterwards  joined  the  Att^ericans,  should  suffer 
death.  In  consequence  of  d^ese  orders,  several  were  exe- 
cuted and  many  were  reduced  to  poverty  and  wretched- 
ness. 

In  these  times  of  confusion  and  distress,  the  mischievous 
effects  of  slavery  in  facilitating  the  conquest  of  the  coun- 
try, became  apparent.  As  the  slaves  had  no  interest  at 
stake,  the  subjugation  of  the  states  was  a  matter  of  no  con- 
sequence to  them.  Instead  of  aiding  in  its  defence,  they, 
by  a  variety  of  means,  threw  the  weight  of  their  little  in- 
fluence into  the  opposite  scale. 

There  were  yet  some  citizens,  who,  in  all  fortunes,  ad- 
hered with  firmness  to  the  cause  of  independence.  Of 
these,  in  one  part  of  the  state,  general  Sumpter  was  the 
leader,  in  another,  general  Marion.  The  cavalry  of  the 
latter  were  so  destitute  of  the  weapons  of  war,  that  they 
were  obliged  to  cut  their  swords  from  the  saws  of  the  saw- 
mills. He  was  so  successful  in  concealing  himself  in  woods 
and  marshes,  that  the  enemy  were  never  able  to  attack  or 
discover  him.  From  these  dark  retreats  he  often  sallied 
forth,  and  fell  unexpectedly  upon  parties  of  the  enemy, 
when  marching  through  the  country,  or  posted  in  garrisons 
to  overawe  the  inhabitants.  In  one  of  these  sallies,  he  re- 
leased one  hundred  and  fifty  continentals  captured  at  Cam- 
den. His  repeated  and  successful  excursions  preserved 
alive  the  spirit  of  resistance,  and  his  high  fame  as  a  parti- 
zan  was  never  tarnished  by  any  violation  of  the  laws  of 
war  or  humanity. 

Of  those  who  submitted  through  fear,  or  from  attach- 
ment to  the  royal  cause,  major  Ferguson,  a  British  oili- 
cer  of  distinguished  merit,  was  appointed  commander. 
He  was  despatched,  by  Cornwallis,  into  the  western  part 
of  North-Carolina,  where,  other  tories  joining  him,  his 
force  was  augmented  to  1400  men.     An  enterprise  against 


1780. 


RErOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


s 


223 


this  party  was  concerted  by  the  commanders  of  the  militia, 
in  the  adjacent  parts  of  the  two  Carolinas  and  Virginia. 

About  the  first  of  October,  they,  by  great  exertions,  as 
sembled  3000  men  at  Gilberttown.      From  these,  fifteen 
hundred  choice  riflemen  were  selected  ;  who  mounted  on 
the  best  horses,  hastened  to  the  attack  of  Ferguson. 

He  awaited  them  on  the  top  of  King^s  mountain.  The 
militia,  in  three  divisions,  led  by  colonels  Cleveland,  Shel- 
by, and  Campbell,  ascended  it  in  different  directions.  These 
divisions,  successively  arriving,  were  each  repulsed  ;  but 
each,  when  the  enemy  by  an  attack  from  a  different  quar- 
ter,  were  recalled  from  pursuit,  returned  again  to  the 
charge.  In  this  manner  the  action  was  continued  for  an 
hour  with  great  spirit.  Ferguson  was  then  killed,  and  with 
him  expired  the  courage  of  his  party.  Eight  hundred  threw 
down  their  arms  and  became  prisoners.  One  hundred  and 
fifty  were  killed.     Very  (e\v  of  the  assailants  fell. 

Cornwallis,  confident  of  his  ability  to  subjugate  the  state, 
had  followed  Ferguson  into  North-Carolina.  Receiving 
notice  of  his  entire  defeat,  he  returned  and  took  post  at  ^ 
Winnsbordugh.  As  he  retired,  Gates,  who  had  assembled 
an  army  of  1400  men,  advanced  to  Charlotte,  where  he  de- 
termined to  pass  the  winter.  He  was  soon  after  recalled 
by  congress,  and,  on  the  recommendation  of  Washington, 
general  Greene  was  withdrawn  from  the  northern  army  to 
take  command  of  the  department  of  the  south. 

By  the  northern  army,  which,  as  has  been  stated,  was 
posted  at  Westpoint  and  Morristown,  little  more  was  at- 
tempted, during  the  year,  than  to  watch  the  motions  of  the 
enemy,  in  New- York,  and  protect  the  inhabitants  from  their 
incursions.  The  troops  unfed,  unpaid,  and  unemployed, 
discovered,  at  various  times,  a  disposition  to  mutiny.  On 
these  occasions,  the  British^ commander,  by  means  of  emis- 
saries sent  among  them,  invited  them  to  repair  to  the  city, 
where  he  promised  them  comfort  and  abundance.  His  in. 
vitations  were  disregarded.  Relief  from  distress  was  all 
they  sought,  and  when  that  was  obtained  they  cheerfully 
relumed  to  their  duty. 

In  July,  a  French  squadron  under  admiral  Ternay,  bring- 
ing 6000  troops,  commanded  by  count  Rocbambeau,  arriv-  *- 
ed  at  Rhode  Island,  which  had  previously  been  evacuated 
by  the  enemy  ;  they  were  immediately  blockaded  in  the 


^^ 


224 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


1780. 


V 


harbor  they  had  entered,  by  a  British  fleet.  Reinforced 
by  these  troops,  Washington  determined  to  attack  New- 
York  ;  the  army  marched  to  stations  nearer  the  city,  and 
rejoiced  in  the  hope  of  being  able  to  accomplish  something 
for  their  country  ;  but  the  arrival  from  England  of  another 
fleet,  under  admiral  Rodney,  disconcerted  the  plan  which 
had  been  formed. 

Defeat  at  the  south  and  disappointment  at  the  north  over- 
shaddowed  the  land  with  gloom  ;  but  intelligence  that  tren< 
son  had  appeared  in  the  American  camp  occasioned  amaze- 
ment and  alarm.  The  traitor  was  Arnold,  whom  bravery 
in  battle,  and  fortitude  in  suffering,  had  placed  high  in  the 
affections  of  the  people. 

Upon  the  evacuation  of  Philadelphia,  by  the  enemy,  in 
1778,  he  was  appointed  commander  of  that  station.  Here, 
indulging  in  all  the  pleasures  of  an  expensive  equipage  and 
sumptuous  table,  he  contracted  debts  which  he  was  unable 
to  discharge.  To  extricate  himself  from  embarrassment, 
he  made  large  claims  against  the  government,  a  portion  of 
which  waB  rejected.  He  was  accused  of  extortion  and  of 
misuse  of  the  public  money  ;  and  for  these  offences  was 
tried  by  a  court  martial  and  sentenced  to  be  reprimanded 
by  the  commander-in-chief. 

From  this  moment,  he  determined  to  avenge  his  wound- 
ed pride,  and  supply  his  wants  by  betraying  his  country. 
In  a  letter  to  a  British  officer,  he  signified  his  change  of 
principle,  and  his  wish  to  restore  himself  to  the  favor  of 
his  prince,  by  some  signal  proof  of  his  repentance.  And 
about  this  time,  for  a  purpose  which  afterwards  too  plainly 
appeared,  he  solicited  and  obtained  the  command  of  West 
Point,  the  most  important  post  in  the  possession  of  the 
American  armies. 

He  immediately  opened  a  correspondence  with  sir  Hen- 
ry Clinton,  and  proposed  to  deliver  into  his  power  the 
post  that  he  commanded.  To  agree  upon  the  mode  of 
surrender,  major  Andre,  a  young  man  of  splendid  talents 
and  adjutant-general  of  the  British  army,  ascended  the 
river  from  New  York,  and  in  the  night,  at  a  place  near 
the  American  lines,  had  an  interview  with  Arnold.  Be- 
fore he  was  prepared  to  return,  the  sloop  of  war  which 
brought  him  was  compelled  to  move  down  the  river. 

Iti  this  emergency,  Andre,  disguised  as  a  traveller,  as- 


1780. 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


225 


sutning  the  name  of  Anderson  and  furnished  by  Arnold 
with  a  pass,  set  out  to  re  aim  by  land  to  New-York.  He 
passed  all  the  guards  and  posts  without  awakening  suspi- 
cion ;  but  was  stopped,  when  near  the  end  of  his  journey, 
by  three  of  the  New-York  militia,  whose  names  were 
Paulding,  Williams,  and  Vanwert.  Supposing  them  to  be 
soldiers  of  bis  own  army,  instead  of  producing  his  pass,  he 
declared  himself  a  British  officer  and  desired  he  might  not 
be  detained. 

On  discovering  his  mistake,  he  offered  them  a  purse  of 
gold  and  a  valuable  watch,  and  promised  more  ample  re- 
wards from  his  government,  if  they  would  permit  him  to 
escape.  Rejecting,  with  patriotism  worthy  of  all  praise, 
these  tempting  offers,  they  conducted  him  to  colonel  Ja- 
meson, who  was  stationed  near  the  American  lines.  In 
his  boots  were  found  a  particular  statement  of  the  strength 
of  the  garrison,  and  a  description  of  the  works  at  West 
Point.  Anxious  for  the  safety  of  Arnold,  he  desired  the 
colonel  to  inform  him  that  Anderson  was  taken.  An  ex- 
press was  unwarily  despatched  with  the  intelligence.  Ar- 
nold, comprehening  his  danger,  made  a  precipitate  flight 
to  New- York. 

Andre,  disdaining  longer  concealment,  then  avowed  him- 
self to  be  the  adjutant-general  of  the  British  army.  Sus- 
picion being  now  excited,  colonel  Jameson  transmitted  to 
the  commander-in-chief,  who  was  not  far  distant,  informa- 
tion of  all  the  events  which  had  occurred.  Washington, 
hastening  to  West-Point  made  arrangements  for  repelling 
,  any  attack  that  might  be  made.  Measures  of  precaution 
being  taken,  the  fate  of  the  prisoner  was  next  to  be  de- 
cided. 

His  case  was  referred  to  a  board  of  officers.  Appearing 
before  them,  he  confessed,  with  ingenuous  frankness,  eve- 
ry circumstance  relating  to  himself,  but  would  disclose 
nothing  which  might  involve  others  in  his  misfortune.  He 
displayed,  in  all  his  conduct  while  a  prisoner,  great  noble- 
ness of  mind  ;  but  the  board,  constrained  by  duty,  report- 
ed that  he  must  be  considered  as  a  spy,  and  agreeably  to 
the  law  of  nations;  ought  to  suffer  death. 

Sir  Henry  Clinton,  by  whom  he  was  highly  esteemed, 
made  every  exertion  in  his  power  to  avert  his  fate.  He 
entreated,  remonstrated,  and  threatened.    To  have  yield* 


226 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


1780. 


ed,  would  have  betrayed  timidity  aiid  weakness,  and  en- 
couraged future  treason.  Andre  suffered  an  ignominious 
death,  with  a  degree  of  composure  and  fortitude  which 
proved  how  great  and  illustrious  he  might  have  been,  had 
he  not  stooped,  in  an  evil  hour,  to  the  commission  of  an 
ignominious  action. 

Arnold  received,  as  the  reward  of  his  treachery  the 
sum  of  10,000  pounds,  and  the  rank  of  brigadier-general 
in  the  British  army.  But  he  was  detested  by  his  new 
associates,  and  his  name  will  be  for  ever  synonymous  with 
infamy  and  baseness.  In  contrast  with  his,  how  bright 
shines  the  fame  of  the  three  captors  of  Andre.  They  were 
not  then,  nor  can  they  ever  be,  forgotten  by  a  country 
which  owes  so  much  to  their  fidelity.  Each  received  the 
thanks  of  congress,  a  silver  medal,  and  a  pension  for  life, 
which  has  been  doubled  at  a  subsequent  season  of  greater 
national  prosperity. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  1780,  the  troops  of  the  northern 
army  retired  to  the  winter  quarters  which  they  had  last 
occupied.  Again  they  endured  distress  at  which  patriotism 
feels  indignant  and  humanity  weeps.  The  harvest  had 
been  abundant.  Plenty  reigned  in  the  land,  but  want  in 
the  camp  of  its  defenders.  Selfishness  had  succeeded  pa- 
triotism, lassitude  enthusiasm  in  the  breasts  of  the  people, 
and  congress  exerted  its  powers  with  too  little  vigor  to 
draw  forth  the  resources  of  the  country. 

The  soldiers  of  the  Pennsylvania  line  were  stationed  at 
Morristown,  in  New-Jersey.  They  complained  that,  in 
addition  to  sustaining  sufferings  common  to  all,  they  were 
retained  in  service  contrary  to  the  terms  of  their  enlist 
ments.  In  the  night  of  the  first  of  January,  thirteen  hun 
dred,  on  a  concerted  signal,  paraded  under  arms,  and  de- 
clared their  intention  of  marching  to  Philadelphia,  and  de- 
manding of  congress  a  redress  of  their  grievance!^. 

The  officers  strove  to  compel  them  to  relinquish  their 
purpose.  In  the  attempt,  one  was  killed  and  several  were 
wounded.  General  Wayne  presented  his  pistols  as  if  in- 
tending to  fire.  They  held  their  bayonets  to  his  breast ; 
*'  We  love  and  respect  you,"  said  they,  "  but  if  you  fire 
you  are  a  dead  man.  We  are  not  going  to  the  eneoy. 
On  the  contrary,  if  they  were  now  to  come  out,  you 
should  see  us  fight  under  your  orders  with  as  much  alac- 


1780. 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


227 


rity  as  ever.    But  we  will  be  amused  ho  longer  ;  we  are 
determined  to  obtain  what  is  our  just  due." 

They  elected  temporary  officers,  and  moved  off  in  a 
body  towards  Princeton.  General  Wayne,  to  prevent 
them  from  plundering  the  inhabitants,  forwarded  provi- 
sions for  their  use.  The  next  day  he  followed,  and  re- 
quested them  to  appoint  a  man  from  each  regiment,  to 
state  to  him  their  complaints.  The  men  were  appointed, 
a  conference  held,  but  he  refused  to  comply  with  their 
demands. 

They  proceeded  in  good  order  to  Princeton.  Three 
emissaries  from  Sir  Henry  Clinton  meeting  them  here, 
made  them  liberal  offers  to  entice  them  from  the  service 
of  congress.  The  offers  were  i)  jtantly  rejected,  and  the 
emissaries  seized  and  confined  in  strict  custody.  Here 
they  were  also  met  by  a  committee  of  congress,  and  a  de- 
putation from  the  state  of  Pennsylvania.  The  latter,  grant- 
ing a  part  of  their  demands,  persuaded  them  to  return  to 
their  duty.  The  agents  of  Clinton  were  then  given  up, 
and  iiTTiediately  executed  as  spies. 

Thk^  mutiny,  and  another  in  the  Jersey  line,  which  was 
instantly  suppressed,  aroused  the  attention  of  the  states  to 
the  miserable  condition  of  their  troops.  The  amount  of 
three  months  pay  was  raised  and  forwarded  to  them  in 
specie.  They  received  it  with  joy,  as  it  afforded  evidence 
that  their  country  was  not  unmindful  of  their  sufferings. 


Ill 


lit 


H 


•^ijf 


^ 


•»■  ■ 


li 


i' 


CHAPTER  XXIII.  "^ 

CAMPAIGN  OF  1781,  AND  TERMINATION 

OF  THE  WAR. 

In  the  spring  of  1781,  the  project  of  besieging  New; 
York  was  again  resumed.  Requisitions  for  men  and  stores 
were  made  upon  the  northern  states,  and,  in  June,  the 
French  and  American  troops,  marching  from  their  re- 
spective positions,  encamped  together  on  ground  conti- 
guous to  the  city.  But  reinforcements  and  supplies  ar- 
rived slowly,  and  the  want  of  them  compelled  tne  troops 
in  the  field  to  remain  inactive. 

In  the  southern  department  far  different  was  the  fortune 
of  the  opposing  armies.  That  of  which  general  Greene 
took  the  command,  consisted  of  but  2000  men.  Nearly 
one  half  of  these  he  despatched  under  general  Morgan  into 
the  western  section  of  South-Carolina,  where  a  Btitish 
party,  aided  by  the  tories,  were  plundering  and  murdering 
the  whigs  without  mercy  and  without  restraint. 

Against  the  American  detachment,  Cornwallis  despatch- 
ed Tarleton,  with  a  force  considerably  superior,  and  a 
large  proportion  of  it  cavalry.  Moi^an  began  to  retreat, 
but  disdaining  to  fly  from  an  enemy,  and  uncertain  whether 
he  could  escape  an  officer  so  distinguished  as  his  pursuer 
for  the  celerity  of  his  movements,  he,  on  the  17th  of  Ja- 
nuary, halted  at  the  Cowpens,  and  determined  to  hazard  a 
battle,  before  his  troops  became  dispirited  and  fatigued. 

Soon  after  he  had  placed  his  men,  the  British  van  ap- 
peared in  sight.  Confident  of  an  easy  victory,  Tarleton 
rushied  to  the  charge  with  his  usual  impetuosity.  The 
militia  posted  in  front  yielded,  as  directed  by  Morgan,  to 
the  shock ;  and  the  infantry  composing  the  second  line, 
retreated  a  few  yards.  In  the  ardor  of  pursuit,  the  ene- 
my were  thrown  into  disorder  :  the  infantry,  facing  about, 
poured  upon  them  a  fire  as  deadly  as  it  was  unexpected. 

20 


V'} 


i 


230 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR, 


178  i, 


Their  disorder  was  increased,  and  a  charge  with  thebayo- 
net  completed  their  overthrow.  One  hundred  of  the 
enemy  were  killed,  and  five  hundred  made  prisoners. 

Seldom  has  a  victory,  achieved  by  so  small  a  number, 
been  so  important  in  its  consequences.  It  deprived  Corn- 
wallis  of  one  fifth  of  his  force,  and  disconcerted  his  plans 
for  the  reduction  of  North-Carolina.  He  sought,  however, 
to  repair  by  active  exertions  the  loss  which  he  had  suffer- 
ed. Having  learnt  that  Morgan,  the  instant  after  his  vic- 
tory, had  marched  with  his  prisoners  towards  Virginia,  he 
determined,  if  possible,  to  intercept  him,  and  compel  him 
to  restore  his  trophies. 

Now  commenced  a  military  race  which  has  hardly  its 
parallel  in  history.  Each  army  strove  to  arrive  first  at 
the  fords  of  the  Catawba,  from  which  both  were  equally 
distant.  The  American  troops  endured  almost  incredi- 
ble hardships.  They  were  sometimes  without  meat,  often 
without  flour,  and  always  without  spiritous  liquors.  Ma- 
ny, marching  over  frozen  ground  without  shoes,  marked 
with  blood  every  step  of  their  progress. 

On  the  twelfth  day  after  the  bgi^ie,  Morgan  reached  the 
fords  and  crossed  the  Catawba.  Two  hours  afterwards, 
Cornwallis  arrived,  and,  it  being  then  dark,  encamped  on 
the  bank.  In  the  night,  a  heavy  fall  of  rain  made  the  river 
impassable.  This  gave  Morgan  an  opportunity  to  remove 
the  prisoners  beyond  the  reach  of  his  pursuer.  And 
here  he  was  joined  by  general  Greene,  who,  leaving  the 
main  body  of  his  army,  with  orders  to  march  towards  Vir- 
ginia, had  ridden  with  but  two  or  three  attendants,  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  for  that  purpose. 

At  the  end  of  three  days,  Cornwallis  found  means  to 
pass  the  river.  The  retreat  and  pursuit  again  commenced. 
On  the  second  night,  the  Americans  reached  a  ford  on  the 
Yadkin.  Before  all  had  crossed,  the  British  appeared, 
and  a  part  of  the  baggage  was  left  in  their  power.  Again 
the  two  armies  lay  encamped  on  the  opposite  banks,  and 
before  morning,  this  river  also  was  made  impassable  by  the 
rain«  This  second  preservation  from  imminent  danger,  per- 
suaded the  Americans  that  their  cause  was  favored  of 
heaven. 

The  next  day,  Greene  proceeded  to  Guilford  court- 
house, where  he  was  joined  by  the  other  division  of  his 


1781. 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


231 


army.  Cornwallis,  marching  up  the  Yadkin,  crossed  at 
the  shallow  fords  near  its  source.  Both  armies  now  start- 
ed for  the  river  Dan,  on  the  borders  of  Virginia,  and  dis- 
tant more  than  one  hundred  miles.  The  knowledge  that 
there  the  course  must  terminate,  gave  fresh  vigor  to  the 
troops,  and  a  new  imp  .loe  to  their  speed.  On  the  fifth 
day,  the  American  army,  having,  in  the  last  twenty-four 
hours,  marched  forty  miles,  crossed  the  river  in  boats 
which  had  been  collected  for  the  purpose,  and  scarcely 
were  they  over,  when  the  British  appeared  on  the  op- 
posite shore. 

Chagrined  that  his  adversary  had  thus  eluded  his  grasp, 
Cornwallis  wheeled  about  and  marched  sullenly  to  Hills- 
borough. Here  many  loyalists  repaired  to  his  standard. 
Six  hundred  Virginia  militia  having,  in  the  mean  time, 
joined  the  American  army,  Greene  determined  to  recross 
the  Dan,  and,  by  his  presence  in  North-Carolina,  support 
the  courage  of  those  who  had  embraced  the  cause  of  in- 
dependence. 

Cornwallis  having  detached  Tarleton,  with  his  legion, 
to  the  country  on  the  branches  of  the  Haw  river,  in  order 
to  countenance  the  rising  of  the  loyalists  in  that  neighbor- 
hood, a  body  of  cavalry,  under  lieutenant*colonel  Lee,  and 
of  militia  under  general  Pickens,  were  directed  to  march 
thither  and  attack  him.  Lee,  who  led  the  van,  overtook, 
in  a  long  lane,  a  band  of  tories,  on  their  way  to  the  enemy. 
Mistaking  him  for  Tarleton,  they  expressed  a  lively  joy  at 
the  meeting)  and  declared  their  zealous  attachment  to  the 
royal  cause. 

Hoping  to  surprise  Tarleton,  who  was  but  a  mile  in  i.u- 
vance,  Lee  forbore  to  correct  their  error  ;  but  while  he 
was  endeavoring  to  pass  them,  the  militia  came  up  and 
engaged  their  rear.  Relinquishing  his  first  project,  he 
ordered  his  cavalry  to  fall  upon  the  tories,  who  were 
slaughtered  without  mercy,  while  protesting  they  were 
"  the  very  best  friends  of  the  king."  Between  two  and 
three  hundred  were  killed.  Tarleton,  alarmed  by  the 
firing,  retreated  instantly  to  Hillsborough.  On  his  way,  he 
cut  down  a  small  party  of  royalists,  mistaking  them  for 
whig  militia. 

Leaving  Hillsborough,  Cornwallis  next  encamped  near 
Quilhrd  court-house.     Greene,  having  been  still  further 


232 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


1781. 


strengtheDed  by  several  bodies  of  militia,  pursued  and  of- 
fered him  battle.  On  the  15th  of  March,  an  engagement 
was  fought.  At  the  first  fire,  the  North-Carolina  militia, 
who  were  in  the  front  line,  fled.  The  second  line  was 
also  routed.  The  continentals,  who  composed  the  third, 
fought  with  their  usual  bravery,  and  for  an  hour  and  a  hall 
maintained  the  conflict  with  great  firmness.  They  at 
length  gave  way,  but  retreated  in  good  order,  the  slaughter 
they  had  made  in  the  enemy's  ranks  preventing  pu.:uit. 
Both  sides  sustained  nearly  an  equal  loss. 

This  victory,  won  by  a  far  inferior  force,  was  more  glo- 
rious than  advantageous  to  the  British  army.  Greene, 
expecting  and  desiring  to  be  attacked  at  his  place  of  re- 
treat, made  preparations  for  a  second  engagement.  Corn- 
wallis,  far  from  courting  a  battle,  deemed  it  prudent  to 
retire  to  Wilmington,  near  the  sea.  He  was  pursued  fur 
a  few  days,  but  so  excessive  had  been  the  suflerings  of 
the  Americans,  from  hunger  and  fatigue,  that  many  fainted 
on  the  march,  and  at  Ramsay's  mills  the  army  halted  to 
seek  refreshment  and  repose. 

Afler  remaining  three  weeks  at  Wilmington,  Corn  wallis 
proceeded  to  Petersburgh,  in  Virginia.  From  Ramsa^^'s 
mills,  Greene  marched  towards  Camden,  where  were  post- 
ed nine  hundred  men,  under  the  command  of  lord  Raw- 
don.  He  took  a  position  on  Hobkirk's  hill,  about  a  mile 
from  the  British  entrenchments. 

At  this  position,  the  Americans  were  attacked  on  th(i 
25th  of  April.  In  the  beginning  of  the  action,  their  brave 
ry  gained  advantages  which,  in  its  progress,  were  lost  by 
the  premature  retreat  of  two  companies,  occasioned  by  the 
death  of  all  their  oflicers.  Atthis  reverse  of  fortune,  Greene 
retired  a  few  miles  from  the  field,  both  armies  having  sus 
tained  nearly  an  equal  loss. 

In  April  and  May,  several  British  posts  in  South-Caro 
lina,  fell  into  the  power  of  the  brave  and  active  partizans, 
who,  with  small  bodies  of  troops,  were  ever  present,  where 
oppression  was  to  be  resisted,  or  glory  won.  Marion  and 
Lee  invested  and  took  fort  Watson.  Orangeburg  and  fort 
Motte  surrendered  to  Sumpter.  Lee  captured  fort  Gran- 
ley,  and  Marion  drove  from  Georgetown  the  troops  sta* 
tioned  to  defend  it.  None  of  these  posts  had  numerous 
garrisons,  the  prisoners  being  less,  in  the  whole^than  e\^k\ 


rei. 


nsr. 


REVOLUTIONARY    WAR. 


233 


)iundrcd  ;  but  the  advantages  they  had  secured  to  the  ene- 
my, rendered  their  capture  important  to  the  American 
ranse. 

About  the  last  of  May,  Lord  Rawdon  retired  to  Monk's 
corner,  near  Charleston,  leaving  garrisons  only  at  Ninety- 
Six,  and  Augusta.  The  latter  post  was  besieged  by  Lee, 
and  soon  capitulated.  Ninety'Six,  which  was  much  strong- 
er, was  invested  by  the  main  army.  The  siege  had  con- 
tinued three  weeks,  and  eventual  success  appeared  certain, 
when  intelligence  arrived  that  Lord  Rawdon,  having  re- 
ceived a  reinforcement  from  Ireland,  was  approaching  with 
two  thousand  men,  to  the  relief  of  the  place. 

All  hope  was  nc)w  lost  of  reducing  it  by  the  slow  ope- 
rations of  a  siege.  On  the  18th  of  June,  the  Americans, 
with  great  gallantry,  made  an  assault  upon  the  works.  They 
were  received  with  no  less  gallantry  by  the  garrison,  and 
repulsed.  Greene  then  retired  towards  North  Carolina, 
and  three  days  afterwards  lord  Rawdon  arrived  at  Ninety- 
Six. 

During  this  year,  the  inhabitants  of  the  Carolinas  endur- 
ed calamity  and  distress,  from  which  humanity  revolts  with 
horrrr.  The  country  was  ravaged  and  plundered  by  both 
armies.  The  people,  in  sentiment,  were  about  equally 
divided.  Village  was  hostile  to  village,  and  neighbor  to 
neighbor  ;  and  their  hostility  had  been  embittered  by  ac- 
cusation and  retort,  by  attack  and  reprisal,  until  pillage, 
burning,  and  murder,  became  familiar  to  all.  Whenever 
a  republican  or  royalist  fell  into  the  power  of  an  adversa- 
ry, he  was  instantly  sacrificed  in  revenge  of  a  friend,  or  to 
gratify  political  hatred.  It  is  asserted  that,  in  this  manner, 
thousands  were  put  to  death.  Each  party  aimed  at  the 
extirpation  of  the  other,  and  the  whole  country  presented 
an  unvaried  scene  of  blood  and  slaughter.  But  censure 
ought  not  to  rest  equally  upon  the  two  parties.  In  the 
commencement  of  the  contest,  the  British,  to  terrify  the 
people  into  submission,  set  an  example  which  the  tories 
were  quick,  but  the  whigs  slow,  to  follow  ;  and  in  its  pro- 
gress the  American  generals,  and  they  alone,  seized  every 
occasion  to  discountenance  such  vindictive  and  barbarous 
conduct. 

Lord  Rawdon  having  returned  to  England,  the  <*  com- 
mand of  the  British  troops,  in  South  Carolina,  devolved 

20* 


•34 


REVOLUTIONARY    WAR. 


iiQi. 


upon  lieutenant-colonel  Stewart.  In  the  beginning  of  Sep- 
tember, he  took  pof  t  at  Eutaw.  Greene  raarched  against 
him  from  the  high  hills  of  Santee.  Their  forces  were  equal, 
amounting  on  each  side  to  two  thousand  men.  On  the  8th, 
a  battle  was  fought,  more  bloody  oerhaps  than  any  which 
had  occurred  during  the  war.  The  attack  was  made  by 
the  Americans  ;  the  British,  resolute  and  brare,  made  an 
obstinate  resistance,  but  were  at  length  driven  in  disorder 
from  the  field. 

A  small  number,  on  their  retreat,  took  possession  of  a 
large  brick  house,  and  others  of  an  adjoining  picketed  gar- 
den. From  these  strong  positions,  a  deadly  tire  was  pour- 
ed upon  the  Americans,  who  persisted,  for  a  longtime,  in  a 
rash  attempt  to  take  them  by  storm.  This  check  enableii 
the  British  commander  to  rally  his  broken  battalions,  and 
bring  them  again  into  action.  Greene,  despairing  of  further 
success,  withdrew  his  troops,  carrying  with  him  his  wound 
ed  and  prisoners. 

The  loss  on  both  sides  was  uncommonly  great,  in  pro- 
portion to  the  numbers  engaged.  On  the  American  side, 
the  number  of  killed  and  wounded,  amounted  to  five  hun- 
dred and  fifty  ;  on  that  of  the  British,  as  stated  by  them- 
selves, to  almost  seven  hundred.  This  sanguinary  battle 
was  followed  by  the  retreat  of  the  British  army  towards 
Charleston.  The  Americans  pursued,  and  by  establish- 
ing a  chain  of  posts  at  a  short  distance  from  that  city,  pro- 
tected the  state  from  their  incursions. 

Cornwallis,  who  left  North  Carolina  in  April,  arrived 
at  Petersburgh,  in  Virginia,  on  the  20th  of  May.  He  there 
formed  a  junction  with  a  British  detachment,  which,  com- 
manded at  first  by  Arnold,  and  afterwards  by  Phillips,  had 
previously  gained  possession  of  Richmond  and  Portsmouth. 
With  the  force  now  at  his  command,  he  ilattered  himselt 
that  he  should  be  able  to  add  this  state  also  to  the  list  o\ 
his  conquests. 

The  American  troops,  stationed  in  Virginia  for  its  de- 
fence, were  indeed  entirely  insufficient  to  oppose  any  ef- 
fectual resistance.  Under  their  gallant  leader,  the  M arqni<^ 
de  la  Fayette,  they  accomplished  even  more  than  was  ei- 
pected ;  but  were  unable  to  prevent  the  enemy  from 
marching  through  the  country,  and  destroying  much  public 
and  private  property. 


:A 


1781. 


REVOLUTIONARY    WAR. 


235 


From  these  excunions,  Cornwallis  was  recalled  to  the 
sea-coasthy  his  commander-in-chief,  who  having  intercept- 
ed a  letter  from  Washington  to  Congress,  became  ac- 
quainted with  the  danger  which  threatened  New-York,  hv. 
was  directed  to  take  a  position  near  the  ocean,  where  his 
army  and  the  fleet  might  afford  mutual  protection,  until  the 
event  of  the  operations  at  the  north  should  be  known.  He 
sel'^'-^ed  Yorktown  and  Gloucester  Point,  situated  on  op- 
I  lU  les  of  York  river,  which  empties  into  Chesapeake 
bu^.       ie  had  an  army  of  more  than  10,000  men,  and  np- 

J)lied  all  his  means,  with  unwearied  industry  and  zeal,  to 
brtify  these  commanding  positions. 

In  the  mean  time,  but  little  progress  had  been  made  in 
the  preparations  to  besiege  New-York.  Of  the  6,000  men 
whom  the  northern  states  were  required  to  furnish  for  that 
purpose,  a  few  hundred  only,  at  the  beginning  of  August, 
had  joined  the  army.  On  the  other  hand,  the  enemy  in 
the  city  had  been  strengthened  by  the  arrival  of  3,000  Ger- 
mans. In  this  posture  of  affairs,  the  idea  of  an  expedition 
against  Cornwu!!is  occurred  to  the  communder-in-chief. 
While  deliberating  on  the  enterprise,  he  received  informa- 
tion that  a  French  fleet,  under  the  count  Dc  Grasse,  witli 
3,000  troops  on  board,  was  on  the  way  to  America,  and 
destined  to  the  Chesapeake. 

He  hesitated  no  longer,  but  determined  to  conduct  the 
expedition  in  person.  The  show  of  an  intention  to  attack 
New-York,  was  nevertheless  preserved.  After  the  troops 
left  their  respective  positions,  and  crossed  the  Hudson, 
their  marcT  was  so  directed  as  to  lead  Sir  Henry  Clinton 
to  believe  thttt  it  was  the  object  of  Washington  to  gain  pos- 
session of  Staten  Island,  in  order  to  facilitate  his  designs 
against  the  city.  The  despatches  he  had  intercepted,  as- 
sisted to  deceive  him,  and  not  until  the  army  had  crossed 
the  Delaware,  and  was  thus  beyond  the  reach  of  pursuit, 
did  he  suspect  the  real  object  of  his  adversary. 

He  then  determined  to  profit  by  his  absence,  or  recall 
him,  by  some  daring  enterprise  at  the  north.  Giving  to  the 
traitor  Arnold,  who  had  just  returned  from  Virginia,  the 
command  of  a  strong  detachment,  he  sent  him  against  New- 
London,  n  flourishing  city  situated  upon  the  river  Thames, 
in  his  native  state.     Nearly  opposite,  on  a  hill  in  Groton, 


S36 


REVOLUTIONARY    WAR. 


1781. 


stood  fort  Griswold,  which  was  then  garrisoned  by  militin, 
hastily  summoned  from  their  labors  in  the  field. 

Against  this  fort,  Arnold  despatched  a  part  of  his  troops. 
It  was  assaulted  on  three  sides  at  the  same  moment.  The 
garrison,  fighting  in  view  of  their  property  and  their  homes, 
made  a  brave  and  obstinate  resistance.  By  their  steady 
and  well-directed  fire,  many  of  the  assailants  were  killed. 
Pressing  forward  with  persevering  ardor,  the  enemy  enter- 
ed the  fort  through  the  embrazures.  Immediately  all  re- 
sistance ceased.  Irritated  by  gallantry  which  should  have 
caused  admiration,  a  British  officer  inquired  who  com- 
manded the  fort.  "  I  did,"  said  colonel  Ledyard,  ♦'  but 
you  do  now,"  and  presented  him  his  sword.  He  seized 
it,  and  with  savage  cruelty  plunged  itinto  his  bosom.  This 
was  the  signal  for  an  indiscriminate  massacre.  Of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  men,  composing  the  garrison,  all  but 
forty  were  killed  or  wounded,  and  most  of  them  after  re- 
sistance had  ceased.  Seldom  has  the  glory  of  victory  been 
tarnished  by  such  detestable  barbarity. 

The  enemy  then  entered  New-London,  which  was  set  on 
fire  and  consumed.  The  property  destroyed  was  of  im- 
mense value.  Perceiving  no  other  object  within  the  reach 
of  his  force,  Arnold  led  back  his  troops  to  New-York. 

The  march  of  Washington  was  not  arrested  by  this  bar- 
barous inroad.  He  pressed  forward  with  the  utmost  speed, 
the  great  object  in  view  imparting  vigor  to  his  troops.  At 
Chester,  he  received  the  cheering  intelligence,  that  admi- 
ral De  Grasse  had  entered  the  Chesapeake  with  a  force 
sufficiently  strong  to  prevent  the  escape  of  the  enemy  by 
water.  On  the  25th  of  September,  the  last  division  of  the 
allied  forces  arrived  at  the  place  appointed  for  their  meet- 
ing. The  whole  consisted  of  16,000  men,  and  were  fur- 
nished with  a  large  and  powerful  train  of  battering  artillery. 

A  body  of  troops  under  general  DeChoisd  was  stationed 
to  watch  the  small  garrison  at  Gloucester  Point,  on  the  north 
bank  of  the  river  ;  and  on  the  28th  the  several  division?, 
destined  to  besiege  the  main  garrison  at  Yorktown,  reach- 
ed the  positions  assigned  them.  On  the  night  of  the  sixth 
of  October,  advancing  to  within  600  yards  of  the  enemy's 
lines,  they  advanced  their  first  parallel,  and  labored  with 
such  silence  and  diligence,  that  they  were  not  discovered 


1781. 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


237 


until  morning,  when  the  works  they  had  raised  were  suf- 
ficient to  protect  them. 

On  the  9th,  several  batteries  being  completed,  a  heavy 
cannonade  was  begun.  Many  of  the  enemy's  guns  were 
dismounted,  and  portions  of  their  fortifications  laid  level 
with  the  ground.  On  the  night  of  the  1  Ith,  the  besiegers 
commenced  their  second  parallel,  three  hundred  yards  in 
advance  of  the  first.  This  approach  was  made  so  much 
sooner  than  was  expected,  that  the  men  were  not  discover- 
ed at  their  labor,  until  they  had  rendered  themselves  se- 
cure from  all  molestation  in  front.  T!  e  fire  from  the  new 
batteries  was  still  more  furious  and  destructive. 

From  two  British  redoubts,  in  advance  of  their  main 
works,  and  flanking  those  of  the  besiegers,  the  men  in  the 
trenches  were  so  severely  annoyed  that  Washington  resol- 
ved to  storm  them.  The  enterprise  against  one  was  com- 
mitted to  an  American,  that  against  the  other  to  a  French 
detachment.  Colonel  Hamilton,  who  led  the  van  of  the 
former,  made  such  an  impetuous  attack,  that  possession  was 
soon  obtained,  with  little  slaughter.  Retaliation  for  the 
carnage  at  fort  Griswold  might  have  been  justified.  But 
<'  the  soldiers,"  said  colonel  Hamilton,  **  incapable  of  imi- 
tating examples  of  barbarity,  and  forgetting  recent  pro- 
vocation, spared  every  man  that  ceased  to  resist."  The 
French  detachment  was  equally  brave  and  successful,  but, 
opposed  by  a  stronger  force,  sustained  a  more  considerable 
loss. 

Cornwallis,  perceiving  no  hope  of  safety  but  in  flight, 
attempted,  on  the  evening  of  the  16th  to  cross  over  to 
Gloucester,  intending  to  force  his  way  through  the  troops 
under  De  Chois^,  and  proceed  by  rapid  marches  to  New- 
York.  Before  reaching  the  opposite  shore,  with  the  first 
division  of  his  army,  a  storm  dispersed  his  boats  and  com- 
pelled him  to  abandon  the  project. 

On  the  morning  of  the  17th,  additional  batteries  were 
completed  by  the  besiegers.  The  cannonade  became  too 
powerful  to  be  resisted.  The  enemy's  works  weie  sink- 
ing rapidly  under  it,  and  nearly  all  their  guns  were  silenced. 
Before  noon,  Cornwallis  beat  a  parley,  and  proposed  that 
coEamissioners  should  be  appointed  to  settle  terms  of  sur- 
render,   They  were  accordingly  appointed,  and  on  the 


•>■ 


\ 


^ 


238 


REVOLUTIONARY    WAR. 


1782. 


19th  of  October,  the  terms  which  they  had  agreed  upon 
were  ratified  by  the  respective  commanders. 

The  naval  force  in  the  harbor  was  surrendered  to  De 
Grasse,  the  garrison  to  the  American  general.  To  the 
garrison,  the  same  terms  were  granted  as  had  been  con- 
ceded to  the  troops  who  capitulated  at  Charleston  ;  and 
general  Lincoln,  who  was  present,  was  designated  by 
Washington  to  receive  the  sword  of  Cornwallis.  The 
number  of  prisoners  exceeded  seven  thousand,  of  whom 
nearly  three  thousand  were  not  fit  for  duty. 

On  no  occasion  during  the  war,  did  the  American  peo- 
ple manifest  greater  exultation  and  joy.  To  the  Giver  of 
all  good,  they  united  in  rendering,  with  grateful  hearts, 
thanksgiving,  and  praise  for  the  decisive  victory  which  he 
had  enabled  them  to  gain.  From  the  nature  and  duration 
of  the  contest,  the  affections  of  many  had  been  so  concen- 
trated upon  their  country,  and  so  intense  was  their  interest 
in  its  fate,  that  the  news  of  this  brilliant  success  produced 
the  most  rapturous  emotions,  under  the  operation  of  which 
some  were  deprived  of  their  reason,  and  one  aged  patriot 
in  Philadelphia  expired. 

The  loss  of  a  second  entire  army  extinguished  every 
hope,  which  the  people  of  Great  Britain  had  entertained, 
of  the  subjugation  of  their  colonies.  Their  burdens, 
which,  although  heavy,  they  had  borne  with  patience, 
while  animated  by  the  prospect  of  success,  now  pressed 
with  intolerable  weight.  They  demanued,  with  an  almost 
unanimous  voice,  that  an  end  should  speedily  be  put  to  a 
hopeless  and  ruinous  war. 

The  speech  of  the  king  to  parliament,  at  the  opening  of 
the  winter  session,  discovered,  however,  that  his  feeling*- 
and  determination  remained  unchanged.  Bearing  no  per 
tion  of  the  burdens  of  war,  he  felt,  with  undiminished  force, 
his  reluctance  to  part  with  the  authority  which  he  had 
once  exercised  over  three  millions  of  subjects. 

But  the  house  of  commons,  speaking  the  sentiments  ot 
the  people,  expressed,  in  energetic  language,  their  disap 
probation  of  all  further  attempts  to  reduce  the  colonies  to 
obedience  by  force.  Lord  North,  contrary  to  the  wishes 
0^  his  sovereign,  then  resigned  the  office  of  prime  m'n- 
ister.  Another  cabinet  was  formed,  who  advised  the  king 
to  concede  independence  to  the  colonics.    Early  in  tlu^ 


1782. 

I  upon 

ItoDe 
To  the 
>n  con- 
m ;  and 
ited  by 
.  The 
f  whom 

an  peo- 
Giver  of 
[  hearts, 
vhichhe 
duration 
concen- 
r  interest 
produced 
of  which 
d  patriot 

ed  every 

tertained, 

burdens, 

patience, 

IV  pressed 

an  almost 

put  to  u 


1783. 


IIEVOI.UTIONAIIY  WAR. 


239 


spring  of  1782,  pacific  overtures  were  accordingly  made 
to  the  American  government,  and  both  nations  desisted 
from  hostile  measures. 

Congress  had  previously  appointed  John  Adams,  of  Mas~ 
sachusetts,  a  commissioner  to  treat  with  Great  Britain, 
whenever  her  government  should  express  a  desire  for 
peace.  He  was  one  of  the  earliest  opposers  of  parliamen- 
tary encroachment.  Actuated  by  hatred  of  tyranny  as  well 
as  love  of  country,  he  had,  before  resistance  was  contem- 
plated by  others,  devoted  all  the  energies  of  his  powerful 
mind  to  the  work  of  enlightening  the  people,  and  prepar- 
ing them  for  the  contest  which  he  foresaw  was  approach- 
ing. In  the  continental  congress  he  was  conspicuous  for 
his  talents  and  zeal.  Appointed  minister  to  Holland,  he 
succeeded  in  obtaining  a  loan  at  Amsterdam,  when  the  re- 
sources of  his  country  were  almost  exhausted,  and  in  con- 
cluding with  that  republic  a  treaty  of  amity  and  commerce. 

As  colleagues  with  him,  congress  now  appointed  Benja- 
min Franklin,  John  Jay,  and  Henry  Laurens.  The  tirst 
was  minister  to  France.  He  was  beloved  by  his  country 
?T  the  services  he  had  rendered  her  ;  and  illustrious 
f  o5'ghout  the  world  for  his  inventive  genius  and  practical 
./t  i^sophy.  John  Jay  was  a  native  of  New  York  ;  was 
distinguished  for  the  purity  of  his  moral  character,  and  his 
attachment  to  the  rights  of  mankind.  He  had  long  been  a 
member  of  congress,  and  was  then  the  representative  of 
the  United  States  at  the  Spanish  court.  Henry  Laurens 
was  a  citizen  of  South  Carolina,  had  been  president  of  con- 
gress, had  been  appointed  minister  to  Holland,  but  when 
crossing  the  ocean,  was  captured  by  a  British  cruiser  and 
confined,  on  a  charge  of  treason,  to  the  tower  of  London. 
In  the  endurance  of  sufferings  in  his  country's  cause,  he 
displayed  a  character  formed  after  the  models  of  antiquity. 

To  negotiate  with  these,  Mr.  Oswald  was  appointed  on 
the  part  of  Great  Britain.  The  conferences  were  held  at 
Paris,  where,  in  November,  1782,  preliminary  articles 
were  agreed  upon.  These  were  to  form  the  basis  of  a 
definitive  treutv,  the  conclusion  of  which  was  deferred 
until  peace  should  take  place  between  France,  the  ally  of 
the  United  States,  and  Great  Britain.  That  event  occur- 
red on  the  third  day  of  September,  1783  ;  and  on  the  same 


I 


240 


REVOLLTIONARV  WAR. 


1783. 


<}ay,  a  definitive  treaty  between  the  parent  country  and 
her  late  colonies  was  also  signed. 

The  provisions  of  the  treaty  attest  the  zeal  and  ability 
of  the  American  negotiators,  as  well  as  the  liberal  feelings 
which  actuated  the  new  British  ministry.  The  indepen- 
dence of  the  United  States  was  fully  acknowledged.  The 
right  of  fishing  on  the  banks  of  Newfoundland,  and  certain 
facilities  in  the  enjoyment  of  that  right,  were  secured  to 
them  for  ever  ;  and  territory  was  ceded  to  them  more  ex- 
tensive than  the  most  sanguine  had  dared  to  anticipate  or 
to  hope.  During  the  negotiation,  France,  to  insure  the 
future  dependence  of  her  allies  upon  herself,  endeavored, 
by  secret  intrigues,  to  prevent  them  from  obtaining  as 
favorable  terms  as  even  their  late  enemies  were  willing  to 
grant — a  striking  proof  of  the  selfishness  of  nations. 

While  the  negotiations  were  pending  the  American 
droops  were  retained  in  service,  but  remained  unemploy- 
ed at  their  various  stations.  They  saw  with  pleasure  the 
end  of  their  toils  approaching,  but  apprehended,  that  their 
country,  when  she  no  longer  needed  their  services,  would 
forget  with  what  zeal  and  fidelity  they  had  been  rendered. 
The  officers,  especially,  dreaded  that,  after  having,  for 
want  of  pay,  expended  their  private  fortunes,  and  after 
having  exhausted  their  strength  in  the  performance  of  ar- 
duous and  protracted  services,  they  should  be  dismissed 
in  poverty,  without  any  secure  provision  for  their  future 
support. 

In  the  course  of  the  war,  a  resolution  had  been  adopted 
by  congress,  stipulating  that  the  officers,  after  being  dis- 
banded, should  receive  half-pay  for  life.  This  resolution 
had  never  been  ratified  by  the  requisite  number  of  states, 
and  no  safe  reliance  could  therefore  be  placed  upon  it.  In 
December,  1782,  the  officers  forwardt^d  to  congress  r*  peti- 
tion praying  that  all  arrears  which  were  due  to  them  might 
be  discharged,  and  that,  instead  of  half-pay  for  !lfe,  a  sum 
equal  to  five  ycKirs  full  pay  should  be  paid  or  secured  to 
them  when  disbanded. 

The  delay  of  congress  to  comply  with  this  request  pro- 
duced an  alarming  agitation  in  that  portion  of  the  army  sta- 
tioned at  Nevvburgh.  An  address  to  the  officers  was  pri- 
vately circulated,  written  with  great  ability,  and  admirably 
well  fitted  to  work  upon  those  passions  which  recent  suf- 


178 

ferir 
The 
tions 

SUCGi 

Fo 
Thoi 
plain I 
frien( 
adopt 
Oallin 
persu 
oongn 


1783. 


REVOLUTUNARY  WAR. 


24  i 


ferings  and  gloomy  forebodings  had  excited  in  every  bosom. 
The  writer  boldly  recommended  that,  as  all  the  applica- 
tions to  the  sympathy  and  justice  of  congress  had  failed  of 
ijuccess,  an  appeal  should  be  made  to  their  fears. 

Fortunately  the  commander-in-chief  was  in  camp. 
Though  conscious  that  the  officers  had  just  cause  of  com- 
plaint, he  was  aware  that  duty  to  his  country  and  even 
friendship  for  them,  required  that  he  should  prevent  the 
adoption  of  rash  and  disorderly  expedients  to  obtain  redress. 
Calling  them  together,  he,  by  a  calm  and  sensible  address, 
persuaded  them  to  rely  still  longer  upon  the  disposition  of 
congress  to  perform  for  them  whatever  the  limited  means 
uf  the  nation  would  permit. 

In  a  letter  to  that  body,  giving  an  account  of  these  oc- 
currences, he  maintained  and  enforced  the  claims  of  the 
officers  with  such  pathos  and  strength  of  reasoning,  that 
their  request  was  granted.  In  November,  1783,  the 
lATRioT  ARMY  was  disbanded,  and  again  mingled  with  their 
fellow  citizens.  In  the  same  month,  New- York  was  eva- 
cuated by  the  British  troops.  General  Washington,  taking 
an  affectionate  leave  of  his  officers,  repaired  to  Annapolis, 
where  congress  was  sitting,  and  there,  at  a  public  audience, 
with  dignity  and  sensibility,  resigned  his  commission  as 
commander-in-chief  of  the  American  armies.  Then,  with 
a  character  illustrious  throughout  the  world,  he  returned 
10  his  residence  at  Mount  Vernon,  possessing  the  sinceie 
love  and  profound  veneration  of  bis  countrymen. 


..  ••  \ 


^- 


4) 
1, 


N 


■■■■!i 


'Ih 


.'t 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

ADOPTION  OF  CONSTITUTION,  AND 
WASHINGTON'S  ADMINISTRATION. 


Independ  ce  and  peace  did  not  immediately  produce 
all  the  advauiuge  ich  had  been  ant.''*'p<>te:r|  by  an  ardent 
and  sanguine  peopL  The  evils  of  wai  ere  protracted  be 
yond  its  duration.  Public  and  private  debts  bore  heavily 
upon  the  people,  restraining  their  enterprise  and  demanding 
all  their  resources. 

Unsupported  by  the  sense  of  imminent  and  common 
danger,  the  articles  of  confederation  virere  found  insuf- 
ficient to  accomplish  the  purposes  of  a  national  government. 
They  conferred  upon  congress  the  power,  not  to  raise  mo- 
ney, but  merely  to  make  requisitions  upon  the  states. 
These  were  often  disregarded,  no  authority  being  given  to 
enforce  obedience.  The  revenue  was  therefore  deficient, 
the  public  creditors  were  unpaid,  and  the  national  secu- 
rities or  evidences  of  debt  depreciated  so  low  that  they 
were  often  sold  for  one  eighth  of  their  nominal  value. 

Neither  did  these  articles  confer  the  power  to  regulate 
commerce.  Congress,  therefore,  could  not  make  commer- 
cial treaties  with  foreign  nations  which  would  be  obligatory 
upon  the  individual  states.  Unprotected  by  treaties,  and 
unsupported  by  countervailing  regulations,  the  American 
merchants  were  denied  all  participation,  except  on  terms 
at  once  burdensome  and  degrading  in  the  commerce  of 
the  world.  The  trade  between  the  several  states,  which 
were  considered  separate  and  independent  sovereignties, 
was  also  embarrassed  by  numerous  restrictions,  producing 
frequent  collisions,  and  diminishing  the  benefits  which  na- 
turally flow  from  the  unfettered  enterprise  and  industry  of 
man.  Commerce  hnguished  ;  and  from  the  want  of  itsvi- 
vifying  influence,  all  the  energies  of  the  country  were 
dormant. 


244 


CONFEDERATION. 


1786. 


To  remedy  these  evils,  congress  applied  to  the  states 
for  a  grunt  of  the  power  to  regulate  commerce,  and  to  col. 
lect  a  revenue  from  it.  New-York  alone  refused  ;  but  as 
unanimity  was  requisite,  her  single  negative  defeated  the 
project.  In  the  mean  time,  the  distress  increased,  and  in 
Massachusetts,  where  it  was  greatest,  urged  to  insurrection 
a  portion  of  the  inhabitants.  Near  the  close  of  the  year, 
1786,  they  cnssembled  to  the  number  of  two  thousand,  in 
the  northwestern  part  of  the  state,  and,  choosing* Daniel 
Shays  their  leader,  demanded  that  the  collection  of  debts 
should  be  suspended,  and  that  the  legislature  should  au- 
thorize the  emission  of  paper  money  for  general  circula- 
tion. 

Two  bodies  of  militia,  drawn  from  those  parts  of  the 
state  where  disaffection  did  not  prevail,  were  immediately 
despatched  against  them,  one  under  the  command  of  general 
Lincoln,  the  other  of  general  Shepard.  They  were  easily 
dispersed  ;  and  afterwards  abandoning  their  seditious  pur 
poses,  accepted  the  proffered  indemnity  of  the  govern- 
ment. 

So  early  as  1783,  John  Adams,  being  then  minister  in 
Europe,  and  seeing  in  what  light  the  American  confede- 
ration was  regarded  by  foreign  nations,  suggested  to  con- 
gress the  expediency  of  effecting  a  closer  union  of  the 
states,  and  of  cdnferiing  more  efficient  powers  upon  tho 
general  government.  A  conviction  of  the  necessity  of  such 
a  course  was  also  felt  by  general  Washington,  and  most  oi 
the  distinguished  patriots  of  that  period.  In  September. 
1786,  upon  the  proposition  of  Mr.  Madison,  of  Virginia,  a 
convention  of  commissio^iers  from  five  of  the  middle  states, 
was  held  at  Annapolis,  for  the  purpose  of  devising  and  re- 
commending to  the  states  a  uniform  system  of  commercial 
regulations. 

These  commissioners,  after  deliberating  upon  the  sub 
ject,  came  to  the  conclusion  that  nothing  short  of  a  thorough 
reform  of  the  existing  government  should  be  attempted. 
This  opinion  was  expressed  in  the  report  of  their  proceed 
ings,  which  was  laid  before  congress.   That  body  adopted, 
in  consequence,  a  resolution  recommending  that  a  conven 
tion  of  delegates  from  all  the  states  should  be  held  at  Phi- 
ladelphia, for  the  purpose  of  revising  the  articles  of  con- 
federation, and  reporting  such  alterations  as  would  rendev 


1787. 


CONFEDERATION. 


245 


the  federal  constitution  adequate  to  the  exigences  of  go- 
vernment, and  the  preservation  of  the  Union. 

With  this  recotnmendntion  all  the  states,  except  Rhode 
Island,  complied  ;  and  in  May,  1787,  the  convention  met. 
Of  this  body  of  venerable  and  illustrious  statesmen,  George 
Washington  was  unanimously  elected  president.  They 
deliberated  with  closed  doors,  and  at  the  end  of  four 
months,  agreed  upon  a  constitution  for  the  United  States 
of  America,  which,  after  being  reported  to  congress,  was 
submitted  for  ratification  to  conventions  holden  in  the  re- 
spective states. 

This  constitution,  under  which  the  citizens  of  this  re- 
public have  enjoyed  such  unexampled  happiness  and  pros- 
perity, differs,  in  many  particulars,  from  the  articles  of 
confederation.  It  connects  the  states  more  closely  together, 
by  establishing  a  general  and  supreme  government  com- 
posed of  three  departments,  legislative,  executive,  and  ju- 
dicial. 

The  legislative  department  consists  of  a  senate  and 
house  of  representatives,  and  is  styled  the  congress.  The 
number  of  the  house  are  chosen  by  the  people,  and  hold 
their  offices  two  years.  They  are  apportioned  among  the 
several  states,  according  to  the  number  of  inhabitants,  as 
ascertained  every  tenth  year  by  the  census,  deducting  two 
lifths  of  the  slaves. 

The  senators  are  the  representatives  of  the  states,  in 
their  sovereign  capacity,  and  are  chosen  by  the  state  le- 
gislatures, each  choosing  two.  The  constitution  ordained 
that  on  ac'sembling  at  the  first  session,  they  should  be  di- 
vided, as  equally  as  possible,  into  three  classes.  Those 
composing  the  first  class  were  to  bold  their  offices  but  two 
years  ;  ^hose  composing  the  second  class,  four  years  ;  those 
composing  the  third,  six  years.  All  subsequently  chosen 
were  to  hold  their  offices  six  years,  except  such  as  should 
b^  chosen  to  supply  the  places  of  those  who  had  died  op 
resigned.  Besides  their  legislative  power,  they  have,  in 
concurrence  with  the  executive,  a  voice  in  all  appoint- 
ments to  office,  and  in  the  ratification  of  treaties. 

The  executive  power  is  vested  in  a  president  appointed 
by  electors.  These  electors  are  chosen  in  the  respectiirel 
states,  in  such  manner  as  the  different  legislatures  may  pr^.^ 
scribe,  and  are  equal  in  number  to  the  senators  and  repre!> 


.^ 
4 


/ ' 


■-^' 


2-16 


f;O.VFEDERATI0.\. 


ITC 


sentative?  from  the  state  in  congress.  He  is  elected  fo; 
four  years ;  but  he  may  be  impeached  by  the  house,  trie<i 
by  the  senate,  and,  if  convicted  of  misconduct,  may  be  re 
moved  from  office.  He  is  commander-in-chief  of  the  lamt 
and  naval  forces.  He  nominates  to  the  senate  all  officers 
of  the  general  government,  and  with  the  advice  and  consent 
of  two  thirds  of  that  body,  ratifies  treaties.  A  vice-pre- 
sident is  chosen  at  the  same  time,  and  in  the  same  manner, 
to  perform  all  the  duties  of  president  when  that  office  i$ 
vacant  by  death,  resignation,  or  removal. 

To  pass  a  law  the  house  and  senate  must  concur,  and  it 
is  then  to  be  sent  to  the  president,  who  must  approve  it.  It 
he  does  not  approve  it,  he  must  return  it  with  his  objec- 
tions ;  and  it  must  then  be  agreed  to  by  two-thirds  of  both 
branches.  Laws  thus  enacted  are  obligatory  upon  the  ci 
tizens  individually,  and  may  be  executed  by  officers  ap- 
pointed by  the  president  and  senate.  Under  the  confede- 
ration, the  ordinances  of  Congress  operated  only  upon  th(.> 
states,  and  no  efficient  mode  was  provided  for  enforcing 
them. 

The  constitution  confers  on  congress  the  power  to  de- 
clare war ;  to  raise  and  support  armies  ;  to  provide  and 
maintain  a  navy  ;  to  lay  and  collect  taxes,  duties,  imposts' 
and  excises  ;  to  regulate  commerce  ;  to  coin  money  ;  nnil 
all  other  powers  of  a  general  or  national  character.  It 
diminishes,  in  no  respect,  the  liberty  of  the  citizen,  but 
transfers  a  portion  of  the  powers,  previously  exercised  bv 
the  state  governments,  to  the  government  of  the  union. 

The  judicial  power  of  the  United  States  is  vested  in  ;< 
supreme  court,  and  such  inferior  courts  as  ihe  congre^> 
may  establish  ;  and  it  extends  to  all  cases  arising  under  the 
constitution,  the  laws  of  congress,  and  treaties ;  to  sdl  casi>i> 
of  admiralty  and  maritime  jurisdiction  ;  to  all  controv«rsiei« 
between  citizens  of  different  states,  and  between  foreign- 
ers and  citizens  :  the  judges  hold  their  offices  during  goo] 
behaviour. 

The  new  constitution  found  opposers,  as  well  as  advo- 
cates, and  both  were  equally  zealous.  The  former,  ar- 
dently attached  to  liberty,  imagined  that  rulers  possessing 
such  extensive  sway,  such  abundant  patronage,  and  such 
iadependent  tenure  of  office,  would  become  fond  of  the  ex- 


1700. 


wasdinuton's  administration* 


o.f 


crcisc  of  power,  and  in  the  end,  arrogant  and  tyrannioal. 
The  latter  professed  equal  attachment  to  liberty,  but  con- 
tended that  to  preserve  it,  an  energetic  government  was 
necessary.  They  described,  with  powerful  effect;  the  evil^* 
actually  endured  from  the  inefficiency  of  the  confederation, 
and  demanded  that  a  trial  at  least  should  be  made  of  the  rf;- 
medy  proposed.  These  took  the  name  of  federalists,  as 
friendly  to  a  union  of  the  states  ;  the  appellation  of  unti- 
federalists  was  given  to  their  antagonists. 

In  the  conventions  of  eleven  states,  a  majority,  though 
in  some  instances  a  small  one,  decided  in  favor  of  its  ratifi- 
cation. Provision  was  then  made  for  the  election  of  the 
officers  to  compose  the  executive  and  legislative  depart* 
ments.  To  the  highest  station,  the  electors,  by  a  unani- 
mous vote,  elected  George  Washington,  illustrious  for  his 
virtues  and  military  talents.  To  the  second,  that  of  vice- 
president,  by  a  vote  nearly  unanimous,  they  elevated  John 
Adams,  who,  in  stations  less  conspicuous,  had,  with  equal 
patriotism,  rendered  important  services  to  his  country. 

The  fourth  of  iVIarch,  1789,  was  the  day  designated  for 
the  new  government  to  commence  its  operations.  The 
delays  incident  to  its  tirst  organization,  prevented  the  in- 
auguration of  the  President,  until  the  30lh  of  April.  The 
ceremony  was  witnessed  with  inexpressible  joy,  by  an  im- 
mense concourse  of  citizens.  In  an  impressive  address  tr> 
both  houses  of  Congress,  he  declared,  with  characteristic 
modesty,  his  '*  incapacity  for  the  mighty  and  untried  cares 
before  him,"  and  offered  his  "  fervent  supplications  to 
that  Almighty  Being,  whose  providential  aid  can  supply 
every  human  defect,  that  his  benedictipifi  would  consecrate 
to  the  liberties  and  happiness  of  the  people  of  the  United 
States,  a  government  instituted  by  themselves  for  these  es- 
sential purposes  ;  .ind  would  enable  every  instrument  em- 
ployed in  its  administration,  to  execute  with  success,  the 
functions  allotted  to  hi-*  charge." 

He  also  expressed  his  6rm  conviction,  "  that  the  foun- 
dation of  our  national  policy  would  be  laid  in  the  pure  and 
immutable  principles  of  private  morality  ;  and  that  the 
pre-eminence  of  a  free  government  would  be  exemplified 
by  all  the  attributes  which  can  win  the  affections  of  its 
citizens,  and  command  the  respect  of  the  world." 

I  dwell,"  said  he,  ••  on  this  prospect  with  every  satis- 


(( 


248 


WASHINGTON  8  ADMIMhlRAllON*. 


nc9. 


fsiction  which  an  nrdent  love  for  my  country  can  inspire  : 
since  there  is  no  truth  more  thoroughly  estahlished,  than 
thnt  there  exists,  in  the  economy  and  course  of  nature,  an 
indiitsolublc  union  between  virtue  and  happiness;  between 
duty  and  advantage ;  between  the  genuine  maxims  of  an 
honest  and  magnanimous  policy,  and  the  solid  rewards  cf 
public  prosperity  and  felicity  ;  and  since  the  destiny  o^ 
the  republican  model  of  government  is  justly  considered 
as  DCEPi.Y,  perhaps  as  finally,  staked  on  the  experiment 
intrusted  to  the  American  people." 

To  establish  a  revenue  sufficient  for  the  support  of  go- 
vernment, and  for  the  discharge  of  the  debt  contracted  in 
the  revolutionary  war,  was  the  first  object  of  congress. 
For  this  purpose,  duties  were  laid  on  the  importation  ot 
merchandise,  and  on  the  tonnage  of  vessels  ;  and  from 
those  sources  were  drawn  into  the  national  treasury,  fund? 
which  had  before  been  collected  and  appropriated  by  the 
states  on  the  sea  coast. 

Laws,  creating  a  department  of  state,  of  the  treasury, 
and  of  war,  were  enacted  ;  and  Mr.  Jefferson,  Mr.  Haniil 
ton,  and  general  Knox,  appointed  secretaries  or  principali). 
A  national  judiciary  was  constituted  and  organized.  A  re- 
solve was  passed,  directing  the  secretary  of  the  treasur} 
to  prepare  a  plan  for  the  support  of  public  credit ;  an*l 
amendments  to  the  constitution  were  proposed,  whirh 
were  subsequently  ratified  by  the  states  ;  and  which,  re- 
moving many  of  the  objections  made  to  it,  rendered  it  ac- 
ceptable to  all. 

After  the  adjournment  of  congress,  the  president  made 
a.  tour  through  New-England,  where  he  was  received  hv 
the  inhabitants  with  an  affection  bordering  on  adoration. 
People  of  all  classes  crowded  to  behold  the  man  whos< 
virtues  and  talents  exalted  him,  in  their  view,  above  the 
heroes  of  ancient  and  modern  times ;  and  to  present  to 
him  the  undissembled  homage  of  their  grateful  hearts. 
But  to  none  did  his  visit  give  more  exquisite  pleasure 
than  to  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  *'  patriot  army," 
who  had  been  his  companions  in  suffering  and  in  victor} , 
who  were  endeared  to  him  by  their  bravery  and  fidelity 
in  war,  and  by  the  magnanimity  with  which,  in  peace, 
they  endured  unmerited  neglect  and  poverty. 

At  the  next  session  of  congress,  which  commenced  in 


1790. 


WASriINdTON  »    ADMINI>iTRATION. 


'J-l!^ 


January,  1790,  Mr.  HHmilton,  the  secretary  of  the  treasu- 
ry, made  his  celebrated  report  upon  the  public  debts  con- 
tracted during  the  revolutionary  war.  Taking  an  able 
and  enlarged  view  of  the  advantages  of  public  credit,  he ' 
recommended  that,  not  only  the  debts  of  the  continental 
congress,  but  those  of  the  states  arising  from  their  exer- 
tions in  the  common  cause,  should  be  funded  or  assumed 
by  the  general  government  ;  and  that  provision  should  be 
made  for  paying  the  interest,  by  imposing  taxes  on  cer- 
tain articles  of  luxury,  and  on  spirits  distilled  tvithin  the 
country. 

Upon  this  report  an  animated  debate  took  place.  Its 
recommendations  were  opposed  by  that  party  who  had 
seen,  or  thought  they  had  seen,  in  the  constitution,  many 
features  hostile  to  freedom,  and  who  remembered  that  Mr. 
Hamilton,  when  a  member  of  the  f  onvention,  had  pro< 
posed  that  the  president  <ind  senate  should  be  appointed  to 
hold  their  offices  during  good  behaviour.  Th"y  now  ex- 
pressed their  fears,  that  the  assumption  of  *hese  d^bts 
would  render  the  government  still  stronger,  by  dr  "ving 
around  it  a  numerous  and  powerful  body  of  pubHi  4  vedi- 
tors,  who,  in  all  its  contests  with  the  states  or  the  people, 
would  be  bound,  by  the  strongest  of  all  ties  tint  of  inter 
est,  to  support  it  whether  right  or  wrong.  This  party, 
existing  principally  in  the  southern  states,  and  proiessing 
an  ardent  attachment  to  the  equal  rights  of  man,  took  the 
name  of  republican. 

/  Mr.  Madison  proposed,  that  whenever  tl>s  public  secu- 
rities had  been  transferred,  the  highest  price  which  they 
had  borne  in  the  market  should  be  paid  to  the  purchaser, 
and  the  residue  to  the  original  holder.  After  an  eloquent 
debate,  this  proposition  was  rejected.  The  party  denomi- 
nated federal,  and  existing  principally  in  the  northern 
states,  supported  throughout,  u>t.'>i  ^reat  ability  and  force 
of  reasoning,  the  plans  of  the  secretary  ;  but  on  taking  the 
vote  in  the  house  of  representatives,  they  were  rejected 
by  a  majority  of  two. 

Afterwards  this  national  measure  wa?  connected,  as  is 
too  frequently  the  case*  in  legislative  bodies,  with  one 
which  had  excited  much  local  feeling.  It  was  understood 
that,  should  the  seat  of  government  be  iixed  for  ten  years 
iit  Philadelphia,  and  afterwards  permanently  at  a  place  t;j 


2S0 


Washington's  administration. 


1791. 


be  selected  on  the  Potomac,  some  southern  membertr 
would  withdraw  their  opposition  to  the  funding  system.  A 
law  to  that  effect  was  accordingly  enacted.  The  former 
discussion  was  then  resumed.  The  plans  of  the  secretary 
were  adopted  in  the  senate  and  afterwards  in  the  house,  two 
members  representing  districts  on  the  Potomac,  changing 
their  votes.  The  debt  funded  amounted  to  a  little  more 
than  seventy-five  millions  of  dollars  ;  upon  a  part  of  which 
three  per  cent.,  and  upon  the  remainder  six  per  cent,  in-' 
terest  was  to  be  paid. 

The  effect  of  this  measure  was  great  and  rapid.  The 
price  of  the  public  paper,  which  had  fallen  to  twelve  or 
hflteen  cents  on  the  dollar,  suddenly  rose  to  the  sum  ex- 
pressed on  the  face  of  it.  This  difference  was  gained,  in 
most  instances,  by  purchasers  of  the  securities,  who,  feel- 
ing indebted  for  this  immense  accession  of  wealth,  to  the 
plans  of  the  secretary,  regarded  him  with  enthusiastic  at- 
tachment. But  in  others,  this  wealth,  suddenly  acquired 
without  merit,  excited  envy  and  dissatisfaction.  These 
joined  the  republican  party ;  who,  fancying  they  were 
witnessing  the  fulfilment  of  their  prediction,  became  more 
active  in  their  opposition. 

The  recommendation  of  the  secretary  to  impose  addi- 
tional duties,  was  not  acted  upon  until  the  next  session  of 
congress.  Those  on  distilled  spirits  were  proposed  in 
order  to  render  the  burdens  of  the  inhabitants  beyond  the 
Alleghany  mountains,  where  no  other  spirits  were  con- 
sumed, equal  to  those  of  the  inhabitants  on  the  sea  coast, 
who  consumed  most  of  the  articles  on  which  an  import 
duty  was  paid.  In  the  beginning  of  the  year  1791,  they 
were  laid  as  proposed.  A  national  bank,  recommended 
also  by  the  same  officer,  was  in  the  same  year  incorpora- 
ted. Both  measures  met  a  violent  opposition  from  the  re- 
publican party. 

When  the  new  government  was  first  organized, but  eleven 
states  had  ratified  the  constitution.  Afterwards,  North- 
Carolina  and  Rhode-Island,  the  twodissentingstntcs,  adopted 
it;  the  former  in  November,  1789,  the  latter  in  May,  1790. 
In  1791,  Vermont  adopted  it,  and  applied  to  congress  to 
be  admitted  into  the  union.  The  territory  of  this  state, 
situated  between  New-Hampshire  and  New-York,  was 
claimed  by  both,  and  both  had  made  grants  of  land  within 


1790. 


WASHINGTON'S  ADMINISTRATION. 


251 


its  limits.  In  1777,  the  inhabitants,  refusing  to  submit  to 
either,  declared  themselves  independent.  Although  not 
represented  in  the  continental  congress,  yet,  during  the 
war,  they  embraced  the  cause  of  their  brethren  in  the 
other  states,  and  to  them  their  aid  was  often  rendered,  and 
was  always  efficient.  Agreeably  to  their  request,  an  act 
was  now  passed,  constituting  Vermont  one  of  the  members 
of  the  union.  An  act  was  also  passed,  declaring  that  the 
district  of  Kentucky,  then  a  part  of  Virginia,  should  be 
admitted  into  the  union  on  the  tirst  day  of  June,  in  the 
succeeding  year. 

In  1791,  was  completed  the  first  census  or  enumeration 
of  the  inhabitants  of  the  United  States.  They  amounted 
to  3,92 1 ,326,  of  which  number  695,665  tvere  slaves.  The 
revenue,  according  to  the  report  of  the  secretary  of  the 
treasury,  amounted  to  4,771,000  dollars,  the  exports  to 
about  nineteen,  and  the  imports  to  about  twenty  millions. 
A  great  improvement  in  the  circumstances  of  the  people 
began  at  this  period  to  be  visible.  The  establishment  of 
a  firm  and  regular  government,  and  confidence  in  the  men 
whom  they  had  chosen  to  administer  it,  gave  an  impulse  to 
their  exertions  which  bore  them  rnpidly  forward  in  the 
career  of  prosperity. 

In  1790,  a  termination  was  put  to  the  war  which,  for 
several  years,  had  raged  between  the  Creek  Indians  and 
the  state  of  Georgia.  Pacific  overtures  were  also  made 
to  the  hostile  tribes  inhabiting  the  banks  of  the  Sciota  and 
the  Wabash.  These  being  rejected,  an  army  of  1400 
men,  commanded  by  general  Harmer,  was  despatched 
against  them.  Two  battles  were  fought  near  Chillicothe, 
in  Ohio,  between  successive  detachments  from  this  army 
and  the  Indians,  in  which  the  latter  were  victorious. 

Emboldened  by  these  successes,  they  made  more  vigor- 
ous attacks  upon  the  frontier  settlements,  which  suffered 
all  the  distressing  calamities  of  an  Indian  war.  Additional 
troops  were  raised,  and  the  command  of  the  whole  was 
given  to  general  St.  Clair.  With  near  2000  men,  he 
marched,  in  October,  into  the  wilderness.  By  desertion 
and  detachments,  this  force  was  reduced  to  fourteen  hun- 
dred. On  the  third  of  November,  they  encamped  a  few 
miles  from  the  viUagcs  on  the  Miami,  intending  to  re- 
main there  until  joined  by  those  who  were  absent. 


252 


WASHINGTON  S    ADMINISTRATION. 


1793. 


f. 


\ 


But  before  sunrise,  the  next  morning,  just  after  the 
troops  were  dismissed  from  the  parade,  they  were  attack- 
ed unexpectedly  by  the  Indians.  The  new  levies,  who 
were  in  front,  rushed  back  in  confusion  upon  the  regulars. 
These,  who  had  been  hastily  formed,  were  thrown^  into 
disorder.  They,  however,  with  great  intrepidity,  advanc- 
ed into  the  midst  of  the  enemy,  who  retired  from  covert  to 
covert,  keeping  always  beyond  reach,  and  again  returning 
as  soon  as  the  troops  were  recalled  from  pursuit.  In  these 
charges  many  brave  and  experienced  officers  were  killed  ; 
the  loss  of  men  was  also  great,  and  no  permanent  impres- 
sion was  made  upon  the  enemy. 

At  length,  after  a  contest  of  three  or  four  hours,  St. 
Clair,  whose  ill  health  disabled  him  from  performing  the 
active  duties  of  commander,  determined  to  withdraw  from 
the  field  the  remnant  of  his  troops.  The  instant  that  the 
directions  to  retire  were  given,  a  disorderly  flight  com- 
menced. Fortunately  for  the  survivers,  the  victorious  In- 
dians were  soon  recalled  from  pursuit  to  the  camp,  by  their 
avidity  for  plunder ;  and  the  vanquished  continued  their 
retreat  unmolested  to  the  frontier  settlements. 

In  this  battle,  the  niinibers  en<»aged  on  each  side  were 
supposed  to. be  equal.  Of  the  whites,  the  slaughter  was 
almost  beyond  example.  Six  hundred  and  thirty  were 
killed  and  missing,  and  two  hundred  and  sixty  were  wound- 
ed— a  loss  which  proves  at  once  the  obstinacy  of  the  de- 
fence, and  the  bravery  of  the  assailants.  On  receiving  in- 
formation of  this  disaster,  congress,  resolving  to  prosecute 
the  war  with  increased  vigor,  made  provision  for  augment- 
ing, by  enlistment,  the  military  force  of  the  n<ition  to  5000 
men. 

In  the  autumn  of  17S2,  General  Washington  was  again 
unanimously  elected  president  of  the  American  republic, 
and  in  March,  1793,  was  inducted  into  office.  Mr.  Adams 
was  "e-elected  vice  president  in  opposition  to  George  Clin- 
ton, of  New-York.  In  the  progress  of  these  elections,  but 
iittle  party  feeling  was  exhibited  ;  the  repose  of  society 
was  not  disturbed,  but  the  citizens  raised  to  posts  of  tho 
highest  honor  those  whom  their  judgments  and  affections 
designated  as  the  most  worthy. 

While  the  Americans,  with  but  little  alloy,  were  enjoy- 
ing, under  a  government  of  their  own  choice,  the  blessings 


1793. 


WASRINOTON'S  ADMINlSTAAtlOX. 


253 


of  independence  and  freedom,  the  people  of  France,  by 
who^e  aid  these  blessings  had  been  acquired,  were  ezpe- 
riencing  all  the  miseries  of  anarchy.  Grievously  oppress- 
ed by  institutions  originating  in  times  of  ignorance  and  bar- 
barism, they  had  risen  in  the  majesty  of  physical  strength, 
and  declared  their  determination  to  be  free.  Against  a 
whole  people,  aroused  by  their  su£ferings  to  demand  their 
rights,  what  effectual  resistance  can  be  opposed  ?  Be- 
fore their  energetic  exertions,  prompted  by  enthusiasm 
and  directed  by  fatal  skill,  their  ancient  government  crum- 
bled to  the  dust. 

Passing  at  once  from  abject  slavery  to  entire  liberty, 
their  conduct  was  marked  by  the  most  shocking  excesses. 
The  mild  virtues  of  their  king,  alleviating  but  slightly  the 
evils  of  despotism,  could  not  save  him  from  tbat  resent* 
ment  which  consigned  to  indisciyiminate  destruction  the 
hereditary  orders.  Himself,  his  queen,  and  many  thou- 
sands of  the  nobility  and  clergy,  suffered  death  on  the 
scaffold.  A  new  government  was  instituted,  having,  for  its 
fundamental  principle,  the  universal  equality  of  man.  Its 
form  was  often  changed,  and  the  reins  of  authority  were 
successively  but  unsteadily,  held  by  the  temporary  favor- 
ites of  an  unenlightened  and  capricious  people. 

The  Americans  could  not  regard  with  indifference  this 
^tru£;gle  of  their  allies  for  freedom.  They  considered 
their  excesses  as  the  first  effects  of  sudden  relief  from  op- 
pression, and  hoped  that  experience  would  produce  sobri- 
ety of  conduct  and  reverence  for  law.  They  hailed  the 
French  revolution  as  the  offspring  of  their  own,  and  che- 
rished the  flattering  expectation  th«t,  by  the  diffusion  of 
the  principles  of  liberty,  the  whole  civilized  world  would 
become  partakers  of  its  blessings. 

The  French  people,  at  the  same  time,  regarded  the 
Americans  as  their  brethren,  bound  to  them  by  the  ties  of 
gratitude ;  and  when  the  kings  of  Europe,  dreading  the  esta* 
blishment  of  republicanism  in  her  borders,  assembled  in 
arms  to  restore  monarchy  to  France,  they  looked  across 
the  Atlantic  for  sympathy  and  assistance.  The  new  go- 
vernment, recalling  the  minister  whom  the  king  had  ap- 
pointed, despatched  the  citizen  Genet,  of  ardent  iiemper 
and  a  zealous  republican,  to  supply  his  pla*ce.  In  April, 
1793,  he  arrived  at  Charleston,  in  South  Carolina,  where 

88 


254 


Washington's  administration. 


17^, 


he  was  received,  by  the  governor  and  the  citizens,  in  a 
manner  expressive  of  their  warm  attachment  to  his  couh- 
try,  and  their  cordial  approbation  of  the  change  of  her  in- 
stitutions. 

Flattered  by  his  reception,  and  presuming  that  the  nation 
and  the  government  were  actuated  by  similar  feelings,  he 
assumed  the  authority  of  expediting  privateers  from  that 
port  to  cruise  against  the  vessels  of  nations  who  were  ene^ 
mies  to^France»  but  at  peace  with  the  United  States,  a  pro- 
cedure forbidden  by  the  laws  of  Tiations,  and  derogatory  to 
the  government  of  the  country.     ' 

Notwithstanding  this  illegal  assumption  of  power,  he  re- 
ceived, on  his  journey  to  Philadelphia,  extravagant  marks 
of  public  attachment;  and,  on  his  arrival  there,  "crowds 
flocked  from  every  avenue  of  the  city  ta  meet  the  republi- 
can ambassador  of  an  allied  nation."  Intoxicated  by  these 
co;itinued  and  increased  demonstrations  of  regard,  he  per- 
sisted in  forming  and  executing  schemes  of  hostility  against 
the  enemies  of  France. 

The  British  minister  complained  to  the  president,  who, 
by  the  unanimous  advice  of  his  cabinet,  directed  Mr.  Jef- 
ferson, the  secretary  of  state,  to  lay  before  the  minister  of 
France  the  principles  which  would  regulate  the  conduct  of 
the  executive  in  relation  to  the  powers  at  war.  These 
principles  forbade  the  course  which  Mr.  Genet  had  pursued. 
Kidying  on  the  popularity  of  his  nation,  he  attempted,  b? 
insolent  and  offensive  declarations,  to  drive  the  president 
from  the  ground  he  had  taken.  He  threatened  to  appenl 
from  the  government  to  the  people,  a  measure  which  other 
agents  of  the  French  republic  had  adopted  with  success  in 
£urope.  Here  the  result  was  different.  The  people  ral^ 
lied  around  rulers,  paving  the  same  interest  as  themselves. 
The  minister  was  abandoned  by  most  of  his  friends  ;  his 
fl^overnment,  at  the  request  of  the  president,  annulled  his 
powers ;  and  fearing  to  return,  he  remained  in  the  country, 
a  striking  example  of  the  imbecility  of  a  factious  individual 
among  a  people  confiding  in  their  rulers,  and  contented 
with  their  lot. 

This  conduct  of  Mr.  Genet,  the  atrocities  committed  by 
the  French  people,  and  the  dreaded  danger  of  their  exam- 
ple, alienated  from  them  many  of  the  citizens  of  the  United 
States,  especially  those  belonging  to  the  federal  party.— 


'&5- 


1794. 


WASHINQTON^S    ADMINISTRATION. 


S56 


And  as  the  world  was  then  agitated  by  the  mighty  contest 
between  France  and  Great  Britain — a  contest  which  per- 
mitted not  neutrality  of  feeling — those  who  became  hostile 
to  (he  former  became  naturally  the  friends  of  the  latter. 
To  her  they  were  besides  attracted  by  identity  of  origin, 
by  resemblance  of  institutions,  by  similarity  of  language, 
by  community  of  laws,  of  literature,  and  ofieligion. 

The  republicans  retained  an  unabated  affection  for  the 
French,  whose  services  they  remembered  with  gratitude, 
and  whose  struggles  for  freedom,  against  the  league  of  Eu- 
ropean tyrants,  engaged  all  their  sympathy.  Over  these 
two  parties  Washington,  admitting  no  thought  but  for  his 
own  country,  watched  with  anxious  solicitude,  striving  to 
restrain  their  aberrations,  and  to  temper  their  mutual  ani- 
mosities. 

After  the  defeat  of  St.  Clair  by  the  Indians,  in  1791, 
general  Wayne  was  appointed  to  command  the  American 
forces.  Taking  post  near  the  country  of  the  enemy,  he 
made  assiduous  and  long  protracted  endeavors  to  negotiate 
a  peace.  Failing  in  these,  he  marched  against  them,  at 
the  head  of  three  thousand  men.  On  the  20th  of  August, 
1794,  an  action  took  place  in  the  vicinity  of  one  of  the 
British  garrisons,  on  the  banks  of  the  Miami.  A  rapid  and 
vigorous  charge  roused  the  attvnges  from  their  coverts, 
and  they  were  driven  more  than  two  miles  at  the  pdntof 
the  bayonet.  Broken  and  dismayed,  they  fled  without  re- 
newing the  combat.  Their  houses  and  cornfields  were 
destroyed,  and  forts  were  erected  on  the  sites  of  the  towns 
laid  waste.  In  1795,  a  treaty  was  concluded  atGrenville, 
which,  long  and  faithfully  observed,  gave  peace  and  secu- 
rity to  the  frontier  inhabitants,  permitting  the  superabun- 
dant population  of  the  eastern  states  to  spread  with  aston- 
ishing rapidity  over  the  fertile  region  northwest  of  the 
Ohio. 

The  tax  which  had  been  imposed  upon  spirits  distilled 
within  the  country,  bearing  heavily  upon  the  people  in 
the  western  counties  of  Pennsylvania,  produced  there  dis- 
affection and  disturbance.  All  excise  taxes,  of  which 
this  was  one,  being  considered  hostile  to  liberty,  great  ex- 
ertions were  made  to  excite  the  public  resentment  against 
Ihose  who  should  willingly  pay  it,  and  especially  against 
4he  oflicers  appointed  to  collect  it.    In  September,  1791, 


250 


Washington's  ^iOMiNiSTRATioN. 


.  1794. 


a  large  meeting  of  malcontents  was  held  at  Pittsburgh,  at 
which  resolutions,  encouraging  resistance  to  the  laws, 
were  passed  ;  and  subsequently  other  meetings  were  held, 
at  which  similnr  resolutions  were  adopted.  Committees 
of  correspondence  were  also  appointed  to  give  unity  oi* 
system  to  their  measures,  and  to  increase  the  number  of 
their  associates. 

A  proclamation  of  the  president,  exhorting  all  persons 
to  desist  from  illegal  combinations,  and  calling  on  th^  ma- 
gistrates to  execute  the  laws,  was  disregarded.  The  mar- 
shall  of  the  state,  white  serving  processes  upon  delin- 
quents and  offenders,  was  resisted  and  fired  upon.  The 
inspector  of  the  revenue,  dreading  the  indignation  of  the  po- 
pulace, procured  a  small  detachment  of  soldiers  to  guard 
his  house.  These  were  attacked  by  a  body  of  five  hun- 
dred insurgents,  who,  settingfire  to  several  contiguous  build- 
ings, obliged  the  soldiers  to  leave  the  house,  and  deliver 
themselves  up.  Several  individuals,  zealous  in  supporting 
the  government,  were  ordered  to  quit  the  country  and 
compelled  to  obey.  An  intention  was  openly  avowed  of 
forcibly  resisting  the  general  government  with  the  view 
of  extorting  a  repeal  of  the  offensive  laws.  The  effective 
strength  of  the  insurgents  was  computed  at  aeyen  thousand 
men. 

The  presideijt,  conceiving  himself  bound  by  the  most 
solemn  obligations,  **  to  take  care  that  the  laws  be  faithfully 
executed,"  determined  to  call  out  a  part  of  the  militia  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  the  adjacent  states,  to  suppress  this 
insurrection.  In  the  autumn  of  1794,  fifteen  thousand 
were  detached,  and  being  placed  under  the  commard  ol 
governor  Lee,  of  Virginia,  were  marched  into  the  disaf- 
fected counties.  The  strength  of  this  army  rendering  re- 
sistance desperate,  none  was  offered,  and  no  blood  was 
shed.  A  few  of  the  most  active  leaders  were  seized  and 
detained  for  legal  prosecution.  The  great  body  of  the  in- 
sui^ents  on  submission  wer<e  pardoned,  as  were  also  the 
leaders,  after  trial  and  conviction  of  treason.  The  govern- 
ment acquired  the  respect  of  the  people,  by  this  exertion 
of  its  force,  and  their  aiOfection,  by  this  display  of  its  lenity. 

Since  the  peace  of  1783,  Great  Britain  and  the  United 
States,  had  each  incessantly  complained  that  the  other  had 
riolated  the  stipulations  contained  in  the  treaty,     The 


1795. 


>VASIItNGTON'S  ADMINISTRATION. 


267 


6)riner  was  accused  of  having  carried  away  negroes  at  the 
close  of  the  revolutionary  war;  and  of  retaining  in  her 
possession  certain  military  posts  situated  in  the  western 
wilderness,  and  within  the  limits  of  the  Uniwd  States,  in 
consequence  of  which  the  Americans  were  deprived  of 
their  share  of  the  fur  trade,  and  the  Indians  incited  to  make 
incursions  upon  the  frontier  settlements.  The  latter  were 
accused  of  preventing  the  loyalists  from  regaining  posses- 
sion of  their  estates,  and  British  subjects  from  recovering 
debts  contracted  before  the  commencement  of  hostilities. 

For  the  purpose  of  adjusting  these  mutual  complaints, 
and  also  of  concluding  a  commercial  treaty,  Mr.  Adams,  in 
1785,  was  appointed  minister  to  London.  Great  Britain, 
aware  that  the  articles  of  confederation  did  not  authorize 
congress  to  bind  the  states  by  a  commercial  treaty,  de- 
clined then  to  uegotiate.  After  the  constitution  was  ratified, 
ministers  were  interchanged,  and  the  discussion  was  prose-! 
cuted  with  no  little  acrimony  and  zeal. 

In  1 794,  Mr.  Jay  being  then  minister  from  the  United 
States,  a  treaty  was  concluded,  which,  in  the  spring  of  the 
next  year  was  laid  before  the  senate.  That  body  advised 
the  president  to  ratify  it,  on  condition  that  an  alteration' 
should  be  made  in  one  of  the  articles.  Its  contents  hav- 
ing, in  the  mean  time,  been  disclosed,  the  republican  par* 
ty  exclaimed, in  intemperate  language,  against  most  of  the 
stipulations  it  contained.  The  partis  ans  of  France  swell- 
ed the  cry  of  condemnation.  Public  meetings  were  held 
in  various  parts  of  the  union,  at  which  resolutions  were 
passed  expressing  warm  disapprobation  of  the  treaty, 
and  an  earnest  wish  that  the  president  woum  withhold  bi^ 
ratification.  Such  appeared  to  be  the  wish  of  a  great  pa^ 
jority  of  the  people. 

General  Washington,  believing  that  an  adjustment  of  dif- 
ferences would  conduce  to  the  prosperity  of  the  republic, 
and  that  the  treaty  before  him  was  the  best  that  could,  at 
th^t  time,  be  obtained,  gave  it  his  assent,  in  defiance  of 
popular  clamor.  So  great  was  the  confidence  reposed, 
by  the  people,  in  their  beloved  chief-magistrate,  that  the 
public  sentiment  begaii  immediately  to  change.  The 
friends  of  the  treaty  not  only  increased  in  numbers,  but 
gained  courage  to  speak  in  its  defiance.  And  during  the 
summer  of  1795,  the  nation  was  agitated  by  a  zealous  and 
animated  discussion  of  its  merits. 

22* 


*58 


Washington's  administration. 


1795. 


At  the  next  session  of  congress,  it  became  a  subject  of 
consideration  in  the  house  of  representatives.  The  trea- 
ty, its  negotiator,  and  even  the  president,  were  virulently 
censured,  and  warmly  defended,  in  a  debate  which  has 
seldom  been  equalled  for  its  intemjperance,  its  eloquence, 
or  its  duration.  On  the  final  question,  a  majority  of  three 
voted  in  favor  of  the  appropriation  necessary  to  carry  it 
into  efifect.  The  subsequent  prosperity  of  American 
commerce  demonstrates  the  wisdom  of  the  president's  de- 
cision. 

The  conduct  of  Spain  towards  the  United  States,  had 
ever  been  cold  and  unfriendly.  She  feared  lest  the  prin- 
ciples  of  liberty,  and  the  desire  of  independence  should 
find  their  way  into  her  contiguous  American  provinces. 

During  the  negotiations  at  Paris,  which  resulted  in  peace^ 
she  secretly  exerted  her  influence  to  cause  the  western 
boundaries  of  the  new  republic,  from  the  great  lakes  to 
Florida,  to  be  fixed  two  or  three  hundred  miles  east  of  the 
Missisippi.  To  the  repeated  offers,  which  were  after- 
wards made,  to  form  with  her  a  commercial  treaty,  and  to 
make  arrangements  respecting  the  mutual  navigation  of 
that  river,  she  pertinaciously  declined  to  accede. 

When  the  inhabitants  beyond  the  Alleghany  mountains 
had  become  numerous,  she  denied  them  access  to  the 
oqean  by  the  medium  of  that  river,  the  mouth  of  which 
was  within  her  province  of  Louisiana.  She  intended,  per- 
haps, to  show  them  the  importance  of  that  privilege  by 
withholding  it,  and  to  allure  them  by  the  promise  of  re- 
storing it,  to  submit  to  her  authority.  The  people  of 
Kentucky,  indignant  at  the  deprivation,  laid  their  com- 
plaints before  congress.  In  bold  and  energetic  language 
they  asserted  their  rights,  by  the  laws  of  God  and  of  na< 
ture,  to  the  free  use  of  that  noble  river,  and  demanded 
that,  at  any  cost,  the  acknowledgment  of  that  right  should 
be  obtained. 

At  length  Spain  became  involved  in  a  war  with  France. 
Embarrassed  at  home,  and  intimidated  by  the  unauthorizefl 
preparations  which,  under  the  auspices  of  Genet,  were 
making  in  Kentucky  to  invade  Louisiana,  she  intimated  her 
readiness  to  conclude  a  satisfactory  treaty,  should  an  en- 
voy extraordinary  be  se^t  to  Madrid  for  that  purpose. 
Thomas  Pinkney  was  accordingly  appointed.  In  October, 


1796. 


Washington's  administration. 


269 


1796,  a  treaty  was  signed,  securing  to  the  citizens  of  the 
United  States  the  free  navigation  of  the  Missisippi  to  tlie 
ocean,  and  the  privilege  of  landing  and  depositing  cargoes 
at  New-Orleans. 

Thus  were  adjusted  all  controversies  with  two  Europe- 
an powers,  which,  while  they  existed,  retarded  the  pros- 
perity, and  disturbed  the  tranquillity  of  the  country  ;  and 
from  which,  at  different  periods,  even  war  was  seriously 
apprehended.  In  1796,  a  treaty  was  also  concluded  with 
the  regency  of  Algiers,  with  which  the  republic  was  pre- 
viously at  war.  It  stipulated  that  the  United  States,  in 
conformity  with  the  practice  of  other  nations,  should,  as 
the  price  of  peace,  pay  an  annual  tribute  to  the  sovereign 
of  that-country. 

Within  the  last  i'.vo  or  three  years,  several  changes  took 
place  in  the  important  oflices  of  the  nation.  On  the  first 
day  of  the  year  1794,  Mr.  Jefferson  resigned  the  office  of 
secretary  of  state.  He  had  performed  the  duties  of  that 
office  with  extraordinary  ability,  and  to  the  entire  satisfac- 
tion of  the  president.  Having  been  minister  to  France  at 
the  coTimencement  of  the  revolution  there,  he  became 
acquainted  with  its  prime  movers,  and,  anticipating  from  ' 
their  exertions  the  diffusion  of  the  principles  of  liberty 
and  the  renovation  of  the  government,  was,  in  the  early 
stages  of  its  progress,  its  enthusiastic  and  undisguised  de- 
fender. Of  the  republican  party,  he  was  considered  the 
leader,  enjoying  their  highest  confidence  and  warmest  at- 
tachment. He  was  succeeded  by  Edmund  Randolph^  of 
Virginia. 

On  the  last  day  of  January,  1796,  Mr.  Hamilton  retired 
from  the  office  of  secretary  of  the  treasury.  He  possess- 
ed distinguished  talents,  and  had  exerted  those  talents  to 
establish  order  where  all  was  confusion,  and  to  raise  from 
the  lowest  depression  the  credit  of  the  country.  His  com- 
])lete  success  greatly  exalted  his  reputation,  and  to  him 
the  federalists  felt  a  sincerity  of  attachment  equalled  only 
by  that  entertained  for  Washington.  With  him  he  had 
served  in  the  revolutionary  war,  and  had  then  acquired  his 
confidence  and  affection,  which  he  ever  afterwards  retain- 
ed. Being  the  advocate  of  an  energetic  government,  and 
aver8«  to  intrusting  much  power,  with  the  people,  he  was 
peculiarly  obnoiious  to  the  republican  party.    He  was 


260 


vtashinuton's  adminisi  ration. 


179G. 


accused  of  partiality  to  England,  and  of  misconduct  in  of- 
fice. After  the  closest  scrutiny,  his  official  character  was 
acknowledged,  by  his  enemies,  to  be  without  stain.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Oliver  Wolcolt,  of  Connecticut. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  ! 794,  general  Knox  resigned 
(he  office  of  secretary  of  war,  and  colonel  Pickering,  of 
JVIassachusetts,  was  appointed  in  his  place.  In  August 
Mr.  Randolph,  having  lost  the  confidence  of  the  president, 
and  having  in  consequence  retired  from  the  administration, 
Mr.  Pickering  was  appointed  his  successor  in  the  depart- 
ment of  state,  and  James  M'Henry,  of  Maryland,  was  made 
secretary  of  war.  No  republican  beinp"  now  at  the  head 
of  any  of  the  departments,  many  of  the  leaders  of  that 
party  withdrew  their  support  from  the  administration  ;  and 
licentious  individuals,  in  their  abusive  attacks,  dared  to 
charge  even  the  president  with  corruption.  But  the  con- 
fidence of  the  people  in  his  integrity  and  patriotism  expe- 
rienced not  the  slightest  abatement. 

The  conduct  of  France  towards  the  American  republic, 
continued  to  be  a  source  of  increasing  trouble  and  vexa- 
tion. Mr.  Fauchet,  the  successor  of  Genet,  bore,  from 
those  by  whom  he  was  deputed,  the  strongest  assurances 
of  friendship  ;  but  encouraged  and  supported  by  a  numer- 
ous party,  ardently  attached  to  his  nation,  he  gradually  as- 
sumed towards  the  administration  the  tone  of  •remon- 
stmnce  and  reproach.  He  charged  it  with  sentiments  of 
hostility  to  the  allies  of  the  United  States,  with  partiality 
for  their  former  foes,  and  urged  the  adoption  of  a  course 
^more  favorable  to  the  cause  of  liberty. 

The  American  government  was  in  fact  desirous  of  ful- 
niling  all  its  duties  to  France,  and  of  conciliating  her 
friendship.  Mr.  Morris,  the  minister  to  Paris,  having 
incurred  the  displeasure  of  those  in  power,  was  recalled 
at  their  request,  and  his  place  supplied  by  Mr.  Monroe  of 
Virginia.  This  gentleman  was  a  republican,  and  had  em- 
braced with  ardor  the  cause  of  the  French  republic.  He 
was  received  in  the  most  respectful  manner  by  the  con- 
vention, who  decreed  that  the  flags  of  the  two  republics, 
intwined  together,  should  be  suspended  in  the  legislative 
hall,  at  a  mark  of  their  eternal  union  and  friendship. 

Mr.  Adet  was  appointed  soon  after,  lo  succeed  Mr. 
Fauchet.  He  brought  with  him  the  colors  of  France,  which 


* 


1796. 


WASHINGTON'S   A0MINI8TIlATI0ir. 


8G] 


he  was  instructed,  hy  the  convention,  to  present  to  the 
congress  of  the  United  States.  They  were  receiyed  hy 
the  president  with  extraordinary  ceremonies,  transmitted 
to  congress,  and  afterwards  deposited  in  the  national 
archives.  In  the  house  of  representatives,  a  resolution 
was  unanimously  adopted,  expressing  the  lively  sensations 
which  were  excited  by  this  testimony  of  the  existing  sym- 
pathy of  the  two  republics,  and  their  hope,  that  the  bril- 
liant and  glorious  victories  of  the  French  people,  would 
lead  to  the  perfect  establishment  of  their  liberty  and  hap- 
piness. 

But  France  required  of  the  United  States  more  than 
professions  and  hopes,  and  more  0  in  by  treaty  she  was 
entitled  to  claim.  She  wished  to  make  them  a  party  in 
the  war  she  was  waging  with  the  despots  of  Europe.  Fail- 
ing in  this,  and  jealous  of  the  more  intimate  relations  con- 
tracted with  her  eremy,  she  adopted  regulations  highly 
injurious  to  American  commerce,  directing  her  cruisers  to 
capture,  in  certain  cases,  the  vessels  of  the  United  States. 
In  consequence  of  these  regulations,  several  hundreds, 
loaded  with  valuable  cargoes,  were,  while  prosecuting  a 
lawful  trade,  taken  and  the  whole  confiscated. 

Bdlidviog  that  the  rights  of  the  nation  were  not  asierted 
and  vindicated  with  sufficient  spirit  by  Mr.  Monroe,  the 
president  recalled  him,  and  Charles  C.  Pinkney,  of  South- 
Carolina,  was  appointed  in  his  stead.  In  the  summer  of 
1790,  he  left  the  United  States,  instructed  to  use  every 
effort  compatible  with  national  honor,  to  restore  the  ami"" 
cable  relations  which  had  once  subsisted  between  the  sis- 
ter republics. 

General  Washington,  having  at  the  sacrifice  of  his  own 
predilections,  devoted  a  great  portion  of  his  life  to  his 
country  ;  having  successfully  conducted  its  armies  through 
an  arduous  conflict  for  existence ;  and  having  since  direct- 
ed its  course  through  the  most  critical  period  of  an  expe- 
riment under  a  free  constitution,  determined  tu  retire  to 
the  enjoyment  of  domestic  happiness  and  rural  quiet.  In 
September,  he  announced  this  determination  to  his  fellow 
citizens,  and  feeling  for  them  all  the  solicitude  of  a  father 
for  bis  children,  he  published  at  the  same  time  a  farewell 
address. 

From  long  experience,  he  had  acquired  an  intimate  ac- 


265 


WASntNOfON^S   ADMINIfTRATIO^. 


179C. 


qaaiDtance  with  the  d»ngers  to  which  the  ^It^  .^r^i^i  of  the 
republic  were  exposed.  These  he  deprecu^'i  an*^  warn- 
ed his  couDtrymen  to  shun,  with  uU  the  imp.vsftlve  ener- 
gy of  conviction,  and  all  the  ardor  of  parental  affection. 
He  besought  them,  especially,  to  frown  indignantly  upon 
the  first  dawning  of  any  attempt  at  a  separation  of  the  union ; 
to  discard  local  attachments  and  sectional  animosities; 
to  guard  against  the  excessive  indulgence  of  the  spirit  ot 
party,  and  against  cherishing  a  hatred  of  particular  nations, 
and  an  affection  for  others. 

This  address  was  read  with  sentiments  of  profound  vene^ 
ration  in  every  part  of  the  union.  Some  of  the  state  legis- 
latures directed  it  to  be  inserted  at  large  in  their  journals, 
and  most  of  them  passed  resolutions  expressing  their  re- 
spect for  the  author,  their  high  sense  of  his  exalted  ser- 
vices, and  the  emotions  with  which  they  contemplated  his 
retirement  from  office. 

To  fill  the  station  from  which  the  father  of  his  country 
had  resolved  to  retire,  the  two  great  political  parties 
brought  forward  their  chiefs.  The  federalists,  desiring 
that  the  system  of  measures  adopted  by  Washington  should 
continue  to  be  pursued,  and  dreading  the  influence  of 
-French  sentiments  and  principles,  made  the  most  active 
efforts  to  elect  John  Adams.  The  republicaps,  believing 
their  opponents  less  friendly  than  themselves  to  the  max- 
ims of  liberty,  and  too  much  devoted  to  the  British  nation 
and  to  British  institutions,  made  equal  exertions  to  elect 
Thomas  Jefferson. 

The  result  was  the  choice  of  Mr.  Adams  to  be  presi- 
dent, and  Mr.  Jefferson  to  be  vice-president.  Released 
from  public  cares,  Washington  hastened  to  Mount  Vernon. 
Having  established  his  fame  as  the  greatest  hero  and  most 
distinguished  statesman  of  the  age,  he  there,  devoting  bis 
time  to  the  cultivation  of  an  extensive  farm,  added  to  his 
titles  of  renown  that  of  the  most  industrious  and  intelligent 
agriculturist  of  his  country. 


.  i'. 


:,c: 


'"  ♦v 


t^ 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


MR.  AbAMS'S,  MR.  JEFFERSON'S,  AND 
PART  OF  MR.  MADISON'S  ADMINISTRA- 
TION.—DECLARATION  OF  WAR. 


Mr.  Adams,  soon  after  the  commencement  of  bis  presi 
<lential  term,  received  from  Mr.  Pinkney  despatches  of  a 
most  disagreeable  and  alarming  nature.  The  Directory, 
then  exercising  the  executive  authority  in  France,  had  re- 
fused to  accredit  him,  declaring  their  determination  not  to 
receive  another  minister  from  the  United  States  until  they 
had  fully  complied  with  the  demands  which  had  been 
made.  He  was  moreover  ordered  by  a  written  mandate 
to  quit  the  territories  of  the  republic. 

Congress  were  immediately  convened,  and  the  de- 
spatches laid  before  them.  Their  proceedings  indicated  a 
love  of  peace,  but  also  a  tirm  determination  to  yield  to  no 
unjust  demand.  Laws  were  passed  authorizing  the  presi- 
dent, whenever  he  should  deem  it  necessary,  to  cietach 
eighty  thousand  men  from  the  militia  of  the  United  .States, 
providing  for  an  increase  of  the  navy,  and  for  augmenting 
the  revenue  of  the  nation.  To  display  to  France,  and  to 
the  world,  his  desire  of  peace,  and  lo  leave  no  means  un- 
attempted  to  preserve  it,  the  president  resolved  to  insti* 
lute  another  and  more  solemn  mission.  General  Pinkney, 
John  Marshall,  and  Elbridge  Gerry,  were  «iccordingly  ap- 
pointed envoys  to  the  French  republic,  and  were  instruct- 
ed, as  the  first  had  before  been,  to  seek  a  reconciliation 
as  the  representatives  of  a  people  dreading  war  much,  but 
the  sacrifice  of  honor  more. 

These  also  the  directory  refused  to  receive.  They 
were,  however,  addressed  by  persons  verbally  instructed, 
by  Talleyrand,  the  minister  of  foreign  relations,  to  make 


r 


264 


ADAMS'S  ADMINISTRATION. 


1799. 


them  proposals.  In  explicit  terms,  these  unofficial  agents 
de^uanded  a  large  sum  of  money  before  any  negotiation 
could  be  opened.  To  this  insulting  demand,  a  decided  ne- 
gative was  given.  A  compliance  was  nevertheless  re- 
peatedly urged,  until  at  length  the  envoys  refused  to  hold 
with  them  any  further  communication.  After  remaining 
several  months  at  Paris,  pressing  in  vain  to  be  received 
and  heard^two,  who  were  federalists,  were  ordered  to  leave 
France,  but  Mr.  Gerry,  who  was  a  republican,  was  per- 
mitted to  remain,  and  was  invited  singly  to  entei"  into  dis- 
cussions relating  to  the  commencement  of  a  negotiation. 

Wheq  these  events  were  known  in  the  United  States, 
they  excited  general  indignation.  The  spirit  of  party  ap- 
peared to  be  extinct.  "  Millions  for  defence,  not  a  cent 
for  tribute,"  resounded  from  every  quarter  of  the  union, 
The  treaty  of  alliance  with  France  was  declared  by  con- 
gress to  be  no  longer  in  force.  Authority  was  given  for 
capturing  armed  French  vessels.  Provision  was  made  for 
raising  immediately  a  small  regular  army;  and,  in  case 
events  should  render  it  expedient,  for  augmenting  it.  A 
direct  tax  and  additional  internal  duties  were  laid. 

To  command  the  armies  of  the  United  States,  president 
Adams,  with  the  unanimous  advice  of  the  Senate  appointed 
George  Washington.  He  consented,  but  with  great  re- 
luctance, to  accept  the  office,  declaring,  however,  that  he 
cordially  approved  the  measures  of  the  government. 

No  opportunity  was  presented  of  testing  the  courage  and 
skill  of  the  American  troops.  At  sea,  a  desperate  action 
was  fought  between  the  frigate  Constellation,  of  38  guns, 
commanded  by  commodore  Truxton,  and  the  French  fri- 
gate'L'Insurgente,  of  40  guns.  The  latter,  although  of 
superior  force,  was  captured.  The  same  intrepid  officers, 
in  a'subsequent  action,  compelled  archer  French  frignte 
of  50  guns,  to  strike  her  colors,  hut  she  afterwards  escaped 
m  the  night. 

'^he  United  States,  in  arms  at  home  and  victorious  on 
the  Ocean,  commanded  the  respect  of  their  enemy.  The 
directory  made  overtures  of  peace.  The  president  im- 
mediately appointed  ministers,  who,  on  their  arrival  at  Pa- 
ris, found  the  executive  authority  in  the  possession  of  Bo- 
naparte as  first  consul.  They  were  promptly  accredited, 
ano  in  Sefttember,  1800,  a  tieaty  was  concluded  satisfacto* 
ry  to  both  countries. 


1799. 


AftAMS's  ADMINISTRATION. 


265 


While  this  negotiation  was  in  progress,  the  whole  Ame- 
rican people  were  overshadowed  with  gloom,  by  the  sud- 
den death  of  the  Father  of  his  country.  On  the  14th  of  De- 
cember, 1799,  after  an  illness  of  "one  day  only,  general 
Washington  expired.  Intelligence  of  this  event,  as  it  ra- 
pidly spread,  produced  spontaneous,  deep,  and  unaffected 
grief,  suspending  every  other  thought,  and  absorbing  every 
different  feeling. 

Congress,  then  in  session  at  Philadelphia,  immediately 
adjourned.  On  assembling  the  next  day,  the  house  of  re- 
presentatives resolved,  '<  that  the  speaker's  chair  should 
be  shrouded  in  black,  and  the  members  wear  black  during 
the  session  ;  and  that  a  joint  committee  should  be  appoint- 
ed to  devise  the  most  suitable  manner  of  paying  honor  to 
the  memory  of  the  MAN  first  in  war,  first  in  peace,  and 
first  in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen." 

The  senate,  on  this  melancholy  occasion,  addressed 
a  letter  of  condolence  to  the  president  of  the  United  States. 
"  This  event,"  they  observe,  "  so  distressing  to  all  our 
fellow  citizens,  must  be  particularly  heavy  to  you,  who 
have  long  been  associated  with  him  in  daeds  of  patriotism. 
Permit  us,  sir,  to  mingle  our  tears  with  yours.  On  this 
occasion  it  is  manly  to  weep.  To  lose  such  a  man,  tit  such 
a  crisis,  is  no  common  calamity  to  the  world.  Our  country 
mourns  a  father.  The  Ahnighty  Disposer  of  human  events 
has  taken  from  us  our  greatest  benefactor  and  ornament. 
It  becomes  us  to  submit  with  reverence  to  HIM  who  maketh 
darkness  his  pavilion. 

"  With  patriotic  pride  we  review  the  life  of  our  WASH- 
INGTON, and  compare  him  with  those  of  other  countries 
who  have  been  pre-eminent  in  fame.  Ancient  and  modern 
names  arc  diminished  before  him.  Greatness  and  guilt  have 
too  often  been  allied  ;  but  his  fume  is  whiter  than  it  is  bril- 
liant. The  destroyers  of  nations  stood  abashed  at  the  ma- 
jesty of  his  virtues.  It  reproved  the  intemperance^of  their 
ambition,  and  darkened  the  splendor  of  victory. 

"  Such  was  the  man  whom  we  deplore.  Thanks  to  God, 
his  glory  is  consummated.  Washington  yet  lives  ^n  earth 
in  his  spotless  example — his  spirit  is  in  heavei^/  Let  his 
countrymen  consecrate  the  memory  of  the  herpic  general, 
i^he  patriotic  statesman,  and  the  virtuous  sage  :  let  them 

23 


V 


ise 


JEFFERSON  S  ADMINISTRATION. 


1801 


teach  their  children  never  to  forget  that  the  fruits  of  his 
labors  and  of  his  example  are  their  inheritance.** 

Agreeably  to  the  report  of  the  committee,  and  the  una 
nimous  resolves  of  congress,  a  funeral  procession  moved 
from  the  legislative  hall  to  the  German  Lutheran  Church, 
where  an  oraiion  was  delivered  by  General  Lee,  a  repre- 
sentative from  Virginia.  The  procession  was  grand  and 
solemn,  the  oration  impressive  and  eloquent.  Throughout 
the  union  similar  marks  of  affliction  were  exhibited.  A 
whole  bereaved  people  appeared  in  mourning.  In  every 
part  of  the  republic,  funeral  orations  were  delivered,  and 
the  best  talents  of  the  nation  were  devoted  to  an  expression 
of  the  nation's  grief. 

In  pursuance  of  the  lawenactedin  ]790,a  place  had  been 
selected  on  the  Potomac,  a  few  miles  above  Mount  Vernon, 
for  the  permanent  seat  of  the  national  government.  With^ 
in  a  distri<A  ten  miles  square,  which  was  called  the  District 
of  Columbia,  a  city  was  laid  out,  to  which  the  name  of 
Washington  was  appropriately  given.  Public  buildings 
having  been  erected,  the  officers  of  government  removed 
to  that  place  in  18UU,  and  in  November  of  that  year,  con- 
gress, for  the  first  time,  there  commenced  its  session. 

At  this  period,  a  presidential  election  again  recurred 
From  the  time  of  the  adoption  of  the  constitution,  the  re- 
publican  party  had  been  gradually  increasing  in  numbers. 
The  two  parties  being  now  nearly  equal,  the  prospect  oi 
success  inspired  both  with  uncommon  ardor.  The  fede- 
ralists supported  Mr.  Adams  and  general  Pinkney  ;  the  re- 
publicans, Mr.  Jefferson  and  colonel  Burr.  The  two  latter 
received  a  small  majority  of  the  elector<il  votes  ;  and  as 
they  received  also  an  equal  number,  the  selection  of  one 
of  them  to  be  president  devolved  upon  the  house  of  repre- 
sentatives. After  thirty-five  trials,  during  which  the  nation 
felt  intense  solicitude,  Mr.  Jefferson  was  chosen.  Colonel 
Burr  received  the  votes  of  the  federalists,  and  lost,  in  con 
sequence,  the  confidence  of  his  former  friends.  By  the 
provisions  of  the  constitution  he  became,  of  course,  vice- 
president. 

The  administration  of  the  government  was  now  transfer- 
red to  the  republican  party.  At  the  text  session  of  con- 
gress, they  repealed,  after  a  long  and  eloquent  debate,  a 
law  altering  the  judicial  system,  which  had  been  passed  at 


!802. 


JZFWEK&Obi  s  *    MIMSTRATIOK. 


267 


the  close  of  Mr.  Adams's  administration.  This  repeal  anai- 
hilated  the  offices  of  sixteen  judges,  who  had  just  been  ap- 
pointed. At  the^ame  session,  the  internal  duties  were  also 
abolimcd. 

A  second  census  of  the  people,  referring  to  1800,  was 
completed  in  tSOl.  They  amounted  to  5,319,762,  having 
in  ten  years  increased  nearly  one  million  four  hundred 
thousand.  In  the  same  number  of  years  the  exports  in- 
creased from  nineteen  to  ninety-four  millions,  and  the  re- 
venue from  4,771,000  to  12,945,000  dollars!  This  rapid 
advance  in  the  career  of  prosperity  has  no  parallel  in  the 
history  of  nations,  and  is  to  be  attributed  principally  to  the 
institutions  of  the  country,  which,  securing  equal  privileges 
to  all,  give  to  the  enterprise  and  industry  of  all,  free  scope 
and  full  encouragement. 

In  1802,  the  state  of  Ohio  was  admitted  into  the  union. 
It  was  formerly  a  portion  of  the  Northwestern  Territory, 
for  the  government  of  which,  in  1787,  an  ordinance  was 
passed,  by  the  continental  congress.  With  commendable 
foresight  they  provided  that  slavery,  the  source  of  weak- 
ness, oj  poverty,  and  of  crime,  should  never  exist  in  that 
extensive  and  fertile  region.  This  is  doubtless  one  of  the 
causes  of  the  unparalleled  rapidit}'  of  its  population.  In 
thirty  years  from  its  first  settlement,  the  number  of  its  in- 
habitants exceeded  half  a  million.  The  state  of  Tennessee, 
which  was  previously  a  part  of  North  Carolina,  and  lies 
between  that  state  and  the  river  Missisippi,  was  admitted 
in  1796. 

The  right  of  deposite  at  New-Orleans,  conceded  to  the 
citizens  of  the  United  States  by  Spain,  md  necessary  to  the 
people  of  the  western  country,  had,  until  this  period,  been 
freely  enjoyed.  In  October,  the  chief  officer  of  that  city, 
prohibited  the  exercise  of  it  in  future.  This  violation  of 
a  solemn  engagement  produced,  throughout  the  states  of 
Ohio  and  Kentucky,  indignant  clamor  and  violent  commo- 
tion. In  congress,  a  proposition  was  mnde  to  take  posses- 
sion, by  force,  of  the  whole  province  of  Louisiana,  and  the 
injured  people  of  the  west  were  eager  for  permission  to 
avenge  their  wrongs,  and  to  regain  their  rights,  by  the 
sword. 

A  more  pacific  course  was  adopted.  Knowing  that  the 
province  had  been  ceded,  although  not  transferred,  to 


26a 


JEFFERSON  S    ADMINISTRATION, 


1804. 


19 


France,  the  president  instituted  a  negotiation  to  acquire  it 
by  purchase.  In  April,  1803,  a  treaty  was  concluded,  con- 
veying  it  to  the  United  States  for  fifteen  millions  of  dollars. 

The  territory  thus  added  to  the  national  domain,  was 
first  discovered  by  the  French,  who,  in  1699,  began  a  set^ 
tlement  within  its  limits.  It  continued  a  colony  of  that  na 
tion  until  1762,  when  it  was  ceded  to  Spain.  In  her  pos- 
session it  remained,  slowly  increasing  in  population,  until 
October,  1800,  when  it  was  retroceded  to  France,  and  by 
her  was  afterwards,  as  has  been  related,  transferred  to  the 
United  States.  The  inhabitants,  a  mixture  of  French  and 
Spaniards,  were  not  numerous.  Its  boundaries  have  never 
been  defined.  They  embrace,  at  a  moderate  estimation,  a 
territory  more  extensive  than  some  of  the  most  powerful 
European  kingdoms,  and  in  many  parts  the  soil  is  exceed- 
ingly fertile,  ltd  acquisition  was  considered,  by  the  United 
States,  of  the  greatest  importance,  as  it  gave  them  the 
entire  controll  of  a  river,  which  is  one  of  the  noblest  in  the 
world. 

Since  the  year  1801,  war  had  existed  between  the  United 
States  and  Tripoli,  one  of  the  states  of  Barbary,  situated 
on  the  coast  of  the  Mediterranean.  No  memorable  event 
occurred  until  1803,  when  a  large  squadron,  under  the 
command  of  commodore  Preble,  was  despatched  into  that 
sea.  On  arriving  before  Tripoli,  captain  Bainbridge,  in 
the  frigate  Philadelphia,  of  44  guns,  was  sent  into  the  bar- 
bor  io  reconnoitre.  While  in  eager  pursuit  of  a  small  ves- 
sel, he  unfortunately  advanced  so  far  that  the  frigate 
grounded,  and  all  attempts  to  remove  her  were  in  vain. 
The  sea  around  her  was  immediately  covered  with  Tri 
poll  tan  gun  boats,  and  captain  Bainbridge  was  compelled  to 
surrender.  The  officers  were  considered  as  prisoners  ot 
war  ;  but  the  crew,  according  to  the  custom  of  Barbary, 
were  treated  as  slaves. 

At  the  capture  of  this  frigate,  the  enemy  rejoiced  and 
exulted  beyond  measure.  Lieutenant  Stephen  Decatur 
conceived  the  design  of  retaking  or  destroying  her.  Com 
modore  Preble,  applauding  the  spirit  of  the  youthful  hero, 
granted  him  permission  to  make  the  attempt.  In  Febru 
ary,  1804,  he  sailed  from  Syracuse,  in  a  small  schooner, 
having  on  board  but  seventy-six  men,  entered  undiscoverec^ 
the  harbor  of  Tripoli,  and  advancing  boldly  took  a  statioi\ 


?B05. 


jefperson's  administration. 


261) 


alongside  the  frigate.  Perceiving  the  crew  in  consterna- 
tion, Decatur  sprang  on  board,  his  men  followed,  and  each, 
sword  in  hand,  rushed  upon  the  enemy.  The  decks  were 
soon  cleared,  some  being  killed,  and  others  driven  into  the 
sea. 

A  heavy  cannonade  upon  the  frigate  from  the  batteries 
on  shore,  and  the  corsairs  near,  was  now  commenced,  and 
several  vessels  of  war  were  seen  approaching.  She  was 
set  on  fire  and  abandoned,  none  of  the  party  being  killed 
and  but  four  wounded.  Throughout  ali  the  piratical 
states  this  brilliant  exploit  exalted  the  reputation  of  the 
American  arms.  The  president,  in  reward  of  his  address 
and  bravery,  promoted  lieutenant  Decatur  to  the  rank  of 
post-captnin  in  the  navy. 

While  the  squadron  remained  before  Tripoli,  other 
deeds  of  heroism  were  performed,  evincing  a  love  of  fame 
and  a  devotion  to  country  unsurpassed  in  Grecian  or  Ro- 
man story.  The  events  and  operations  of  this  war  shed 
a  lustre  upon  the  American  name,  gave  experience  and 
character  to  the  officers,  and  prepared  them  to  acquire 
greater  glory  in  a  contest  with  a  nobler  foe.  They  were 
equalled  however,  by  an  enterprise  on  land,  bold  and.  ro- 
mantic in  its  conception,  and  exhibiting,  in  its  execution, 
uncommon  address  and  decision  of  character. 

William  Eaton,  who  had  been  a  captain  in  the  American 
army,  was,  at  the  commencement  of  this  war,  consul  at 
Tunis.  He  there  became  acquainted  with  Hamet  Cara- 
mauly,  whom  a  younger  brother  had  excluded  from  the 
throne  of  Tripoli.  With  him  he  concerted  an  expedition 
against  the  reigning  sovereign,  and  repaired  to  the  Unitod 
States  to  obtain  permission  and  the  means  to  undertake  it. 
Permission  was  granted,  the  co-operation  of  the  squadron 
recommended,  and  such  pecuniary  assistance  as  could  be 
spared  was  afforded. 

To  raise  an  army  in  Egypt,  and  lead  it  to  attack  the 
usurper  in  his  dominions,  was  the  project  which  had  been 
concerted.  Id  the  beginning  of  1805,  Enton  met  Hamet 
at  Alexandria,  aiid  was  appointed  general  of  his  forces. 
On  the  6th  of  March,  at  the  head  ofa  respectable  body  of 
mounted  Arabs,  and  about  seventy  Christains,  he  set  out 
for  Tripoli.  His  route  lay  across  a  desert  one  thousand 
miles  in  extent.    On  his  march,  he  enc9uiitere4  peril,  fa- 

23* 


^70 


Jefferson's  administration. 


I  SOS, 


tigue,  and  sufTerlng,  the  description  of  which  would  resem- 
ble the  exaggerations  of  romance.  On  the  25tb  of  April, 
having  been  fifty  days  on  the  march,  he  arrived  before 
Derne,  a  Tripolitan  city  on  the  Mediterranean,  and  found 
in  the  harbor  a  part  of  the  American  squadron,  destined 
to  assist  him.  Hel?arnt  also  that  the  usurper,  having  re< 
ceived  notice  of  his  approach,  had  raised  a  considerable 
army  and  was  then  within  a  day's  march  of  the  city. 

No  time  was  therefore  to  be  lost.  The  next  morning, 
he  summoned  the  governor  to  surrender,  who  returned 
for  answer,  *'  My  head  or  yours."  The  city  was  as- 
saulted, and  iifter  a  contest  of  two  hours  and  a  half,  pos- 
session gained.  The  Christians  suffered  severely  and  the 
general  was  slightly  wounded.  Great  exertions  were  im- 
mediately made  to  fortify  the  city.  On  the  8th  of  May,  it 
was  attacked  by  the  Tripolitan  army.  Although  ten  times 
more  numerous  than  Eaton's  band,  the  assailants,  aftei 
persisting  four  hours  in  the  attempt,  were  compelled  to 
retire.  On  the  10th  of  June  another  battle  was  fought,  \n 
which  the  enemy  were  defeated.  The  next  day  the  Ame- 
rican frigate  Constitution  arrived  in  the  harbor,  which  so 
terrified  the  Tripolitans  that  they  fled  precipitately  to  the 
desert. 

The  frigate  came  however  to  arrest  the  operations  of 
Eaton,  in  the  midst  of  his  brilliant  and  successful  career. 
Alarmed  at  his  progress,  the  reigning  bashaw  had  oifercd 
terms  of  peace,  which,  being  much  more  favorable  than 
had  before  been  offered,  were  accepted  by  Mr.  Lear,  the 
authorized  agent  of  the  government.  Sixty  thousand  dol- 
lars were  given  as  a  ransom  for  the  unfortunate  American 
prisoners,  and  an  engagement  was  made  to  withdraw  all 
support  from  Hamet.  The  nation,  proud  of  the  exploits 
of  Eaton,  regretted  this  diplomatic  interference,  but  the 
treaty  Wc>?  rat' J  ad  by  the  president  and  senate  ;  and  thus 
ended  the  war  in  the  Mediterranean. 

Colont  i  Burr  having  iosi  the  confidence  of  the  republi- 
can party,  became,  in  1804,  a  candidate  for  the  office  of 
governor  of  New- York  :  the  federalists  generally  gave  him 
their  votes,  but  Mr.  Hamilton  considering  him  an  unprin- 
cipled pohtician,  openly  opposed  his  election.  The  choice 
fell  upon  the  rival  candidate.  A  duel  ensued  between 
these  distinguished  individuals,  the  challenge  proceeding 


1806. 


JEFFERSON  S  ADMINISTRATION. 


27  f 


from  Burr.  Hamilton  was  mortally  wounded.  This 
event  produced  a  strong  and  lively  sensation  throughout 
the  union.  At  the  next  presidential  election  which  occur- 
red in  the  same  year,  Mr.  Jefferson  was  elected  president 
and  George  Clinton  of  New- York,  vice-president,  the 
former  receiving  all  but  fourteen  votes. 

Burr,  notwithstanding  his  brilliant  talents,  now  sunk,  for 
a  time,  into  merited  obscurity.  His  future  conduct  show- 
ed, however,  that,  while  unobserved  by  his  fellow  citizens, 
he  had  not  been  idle.  In  the  Autumn  of  1806,  his  move- 
ments in  the  western  country  attracted  the  notice  of  gov- 
ernment. He  had  purchased  and  was  building  boats  on 
the  Ohio,  and  engaging  men  to  descend  that  river.  His 
declared  purpose  was  to  form  a  settlement  on  the  banks  ot 
the  Washita,  in  Louisiana  ;  but  the  character  of  the  man, 
the  nature  of  his  preparation^:,  and  the  incautious  disclo- 
sures of  his  associates,  led  to  the  suspicion  that  his  true 
object  was  either  to  gain  possession  of  New-Orleans,  and 
erect  into  a  separate  government  the  country  watered  by 
the  Missisippi  and  its  branches,  or  to  invade,  from  the 
territories  of  the  United  States,  the  rich  Spanish  province 
of  Mexico. 

From  the  first  moment  of  suspicion,  he  was  closely 
watched  by  the  agents  of  the  government.  At  Natchez, 
while  on  his  way  to  New-Orleans,  he  was  cited  to  appear 
before  the  supreme  court  of  the  Missisippi  Territory.  Bui 
he  had  so  enveloped  his  projects  in  secrecy,  that  sufficient 
evidence  to  convict  him  could  not  be  produced,  and  he 
was  discharged.  Hearing,  however,  that  several  persons, 
suspected  of  being  his  accomplices,  had  been  arrested  at 
New-Orleans  and  elsewhere,  he  fled  in  disguise  from  Nat- 
che'z,  was  apprehended  on  the  Tombigbee,  and  conveyed 
a  prisoner  to  Richmond.  Two  indictments  were  found 
against  him,  one  charging  him  with  treason  against  the 
United  States,  the  other  with  preparing  and  commencing 
an  expedition  against  the  dominions  of  Spain. 

In  August,  1807,  he  was  tried,  upon  those  indictments, 
before  John  Marshall,  the  chief  justice  of  the  United 
States.  Full  evidence  of  his  guilt  not  being  exhibited,  he 
was  acquitted  by  the  jury.  The  people,  however,  be- 
lieved him  guilty ;  and  by  their  desertion  and  contempt, 
he  was  reduced  to  a  condition  of  the  most  abject  wretch- 


<*  4  <w 


JEFFERSON  S  ADMINISTRATION. 


1807. 


edness.  The  ease  with  which  his  pinns  were  defeated, 
demonstrated  the  strength  of  the  government,  and  his  fate 
will  ever  be  an  impressive  warning  to  those  who,  in  a  free 
country,  listen  to  the  suggestions  of  criminal  ambition. 

The  wars  produced  by  the  French  revolution  continued 
to  rage  in  Europe.  The  attempts,  made  by  the  neighbor- 
ing kings,  to  compel  republican  France  to  resume  her  mo- 
narchical institutions,  had  not  only  been  resisted  and  defeat- 
ed by  her  indignant  citizens,  but  they  had  followed  home 
the  repelled  invaders  of  their  country,  and  had  subdued 
those  who  began  the  war,  with  the  hope  and  purpose  of 
subduing  France.  The  nation  had  necessarily  become  a 
nation  of  soldiers,  and  one,  more  daring  and  fortunate  than 
the  others,  had  been  placed  at  their  head  as  chief  of  the  re- 
public. By  his  extraordinary  talents,  and  the  vast  means 
subjected  to  his  single  will,  he  acquired  controll  over  most 
ofthe  European  kingdoms. 

England,  however,  unsubdued  and  undaunted,  had  be- 
come as  pre-eminent  on  the  water  as  France  on  the  land. 
Her  powerful  navy  expelled  every  hostile  navy  from  the 
ocean,  and  rode  triumphant  in  every  sea.  America  pro- 
fitted  from  the  destruction  of  the  ships  and  commerce  of 
other  nations.  Being  neiitral,  her  vessels  carried  from 
port  to  port  the  productions  of  France  and  her  dependant 
kingdoms  ;  and  also  to  the  ports  of  those  kingdoms  the  ma- 
nufactures of  England.  Few  ships  were  found  on  the 
ocean  except  those  ofthe  United  States  and  Great  Britain. 

The  latter,  having  always  found  it  impossible  to  man  her 
numerous  fleets,  by  voluntary  enlistments,  had  been  ac- 
customed to  resort  to  impressment,  or  seizing  by  force  her 
subjects,  and  compelling  them  to  serve,  as  sailors,  on  board 
her  ships  of  war.  Soon  after  the  peace  of  1783,  she  claim- 
ed a  right  to  search  for  and  seize  them,  even  on  board  of 
neutral  vessels  while  traversing  the  ocean.  In  the  exer- 
cise of  this  pretended  right,  citizens  of  the  United  States, 
sometimes  by  mistake  and  sometimes  by  design,  were  seized, 
dragged  from  their  friendi>,  transported  to  distant  parts 
of  the  world,  compelled  to  perform  the  degrading  duty 
of  British  sailors,  and  to  fight  with  nations  at  peace  with 
their  own.  Against  this  outrage  upon  personal  liberty  and 
the  rights  of  American  citizens,  Washington,  Adams,  and 
Jefferson,  had  remonstrated  in  vain.      The  abuse  con- 


n. 


1807. 


JEFFERSON  S  ADMINISTRATION. 


273 


•ee 


tinued  and  every  year  added  to  its  enormity,  until  a  feeling 
of  resentment  was  aroused  worthy  the  best  period  of  the 
Roman  republic. 

But  not  in  this  mode  only  were  the  rights  of  the  United 
States  invaded  and  their  interest  sacrificed  on  the  ocean. 
The  carrying  trade  afforded  a  harvest  too  rich,  and  too 
tempting  to  British  cupidity,  to  be  long  enjoyed  unmolest- 
ed. American  ships,  carrying  to  Europe  the  produce  of 
French  colonies,  were,  in  an  early  stage  of  the  war,  cap- 
tured by  British  cruisers,  and  condemned  by  their  courts 
as  lawful  prizes.  Several  European  ports  under  the  con- 
troll  of  France,  were  declared,  by  British  orders  in  council, 
dated  in  May,  1806,  to  be  in  a  state  of  blockade,  although 
not  invested  with  a  British  fleet,  and  American  vessels,  at- 
tempting to  enter  those  ports,  were  also  captured  and  con- 
demned. 

France  and  her  allies  suffered,  as  well  as  the  United 
States,  from  these  transgressions  of  the  laws  of  nations. 
Her  vengeance  fell,  not  so  much  upon  the  belligerant  in- 
flicting the  injury,  as  upon  the  neutral  enduring  without 
resenting  and  repelling  it.  By  a  decree,  issued  at  Berlin 
in  Novfc.nber,  1806,  the  French  emperor  declared  the 
British  Islands  in  a  state  of  blockade,  and  of  course  au- 
thorized the  capture  of  all  neutral  vessels  attempting  to 
trade  with  those  islands.  From  these  measures  of  both 
nations,  the  commerce  of  the  United  States  severely  suf- 
fered, and  their  merchants  loudly  demanded  of  the  govern- 
ment redress  and  protection. 

In  June  1807,  an  event  occurred,  which  for  a  time  con- 
centrated upon  one  of  the  rival  nations  the  whole  weight 
of  popular  indignation.  The  frigate  Chesapeak,  while 
near  the  coasts  of  the  United  States,  and  unsuspicious  of 
danger,  was  fired  upon  from  the  Leopard,  a  British  ship  of 
superior  force,  three  of  her  men  were  killed  and  eighteen 
wounded.  Being  unprepared  for  action,  she  struck  her 
colors,  was  then  boarded  by  a  detachment  from  the  Leo- 
pard, her  crew  mustered  and  four  of  them  forcibly  carried 
off  upon  the  pretence  that  they  were  British  deserters. 
The  truth,  upon  investigation,  was  ascertained  to  be,  that 
three  of  them  were  citizens  of  the  United  States,  had  been 
impressed  by  the  British  and  had  afterwards  escaped  from 
their  service* 


274 


JEFFERSON^S  ADMINISTRATliO^f. 


1807. 


This  insolent  attack  upon  a  national  ship, — this  wanton 
exercise  of  a  claim  derogatory  to  national  honor, — arousfd 
the  spirit  of  the  republic.  The  distinctions  of  party  were 
forgotten,  numerous  meetings  of  the  citizens  were  held, 
anr  ail  concurred  in  the  expression  of  a  determination  to 
support  the  government  of  their  country  iu  its  efforts  to 
obtain,  whether  by  negotiation  or  war,  satisfaction  for  this 
insulting  outrage. 

The  president,  by  proclamation,  prohibited  all  British 
ships  of  war  from  continuing  in  or  entering  the  harbors  of 
the  United  States.  He  sent  instructions  to  the  minister  at 
London  to  demand  satisfaction  for  the  insult,  and  security 
against  future  aggression.  He  summoned  congress  to 
meet  and  decide  what  further  measures  should  be  adopted. 
The  British  government  promptly  disavowing  the  act  of  its 
officer,  the  hostile  feelings  which  had  been  excited  began 
to  subside ;  but  delaying  to  render  satisfaction,  and  refus- 
ing to  adopt  adequate  measures  to  prevent  a  continuance 
of  aggression,  they  were  not  extinguished  nor  appeased. 

Bonaparte  having  declared  his  purpose  of  enforcing  with 
rigor  the  Berlin  decree ;  the  British  government  having 
solemnly  asserted  the  right  of  search  and  impressment, 
and,  having  intimated  their  intention  to  adopt  measures  in 
retaiiattcn  of  the  French  decree,  the  president  recom- 
mended to  congress  that  the  seamen,  ships,  and  merchan- 
dise of  the  United  States  should  be  detained  in  port  to  pre- 
serve them  from  the  dangers  which  threatened  them  on 
the  ocean.  A  law  laying  an  indefinite  embargo  was  in 
co'.isequence  enacted.  A  hope  to  coerce  the  belligerant 
powers  to  return  to  the  observance  of  the  laws  of  nations, 
by  depriving  them  of  the  benefits  derived  from  the  trade 
of  America,  was  doubtless  a  concurring  motive  for  passing 
the  law. 

A  few  days  only  had  elapsed,  when  information  was  re- 
ceived, that  Great  Britain  had  prohibited  neutrals,  except 
upon  the  degrading  condition  of  paying  a  tax  or  tribute  to 
her,  from  trading  with  France  or  her  allies,  comprising 
nearly  every  maritime  nation  of  Europe.  This  was  fol- 
lowed, in  a  few  weeks,  by  a  decree  issued  by  Bonaparte, 
at  Milan,  declaring  that  every  neutral  vessel,  which  should 
submit  to  be  fisited  by  a  British  ship,  or  to  pay  the  tribute 
demanded,  should  be  confiscated,  if  afterwards  found  in  his 


1809. 


JEFFERSON  8  ADMINISTRATIOiV. 


275 


ports,  or  tnken  by  his  cruisers.  Thus,  at  the  date  of  the 
embargo,  were  orders  and  decrees  in  existence  rendering 
liable  to  capture  almost  every  American  vessel  sailing  un 
the  ocean. 

In  the  New-England  states,  the  embargo,  withholding  the 
merchant  from  a  career  in  which  he  had  been  highly  pros- 
perous, and  in  which  he  imagined  that  he  might  still  be 
favored  of  fortune,  occasioned  discontent  and  clamor.  The 
federalists,  more  numerous  there  than  in  any  other  part  of 
the  union,  pronounced  it  a  measure  unwise  and  oppressive. 
These  representations  and  the  real  and  severe  distress 
which  the  people  endure/  aduced  a  rapid  change  in 
their  political  opinions.  -  a  short  time,  a  majority  be- 
came federalists,  and  opp  vith  zeal  all  the  measures 
of  the  government. 

In  the  fall  of  1808,  a  new  election  of  chief-magistrate 
took  place.  Mr.  Jefferson,  believing  that  no  person  should 
hold  that  office  more  than  eight  years,  and  desirous  of  con- 
tinuing the  example  of  Washington,  hud  previously  an- 
nounced his  intention  to  retire  to  private  life.  James 
Madison  was  elected  president  and  George  Clinton  vice- 
president. 

In  March,  1809,  congress  repealed  the  embargo,  and 
substituted  a  law  prohibiting  all  intercourse  with  France 
and' Great  Britain.  Bonaparte,  in  retaliation,  issued  a  de- 
cree, at  Rambouillot,  directing  that  all  American  vessels 
which  were  then  in  the  ports  of  France,  or  might  after- 
wards enter,  should  be  seized  and  confiscated. 

In  the  nonintercourse  law,  a  provision  was  inserted,  that 
if  either  nation  should  revoke  her  hostile  edicts,  and  the 
president  should  announce  that  fact  by  proclamation, 
then  the  law  should  cease  to  be  in  force  in  regard  to  the 
nation  so  revoking.  In  April,  Mr.  Erskine,  the  British 
minister  at  Washington,  engaged,  on  the  part  of  his  govern- 
ment, that  the  orders  in  council,  so  far  as  they  affected  the 
United  States,  should  be  withdrawn  on  the  lOth  of  June  ; 
and  the  president  immediately  issued  the  proclamation  pre- 
scribed in  the  law. 

This  arrangement  the  British  ministry  refused  to  ratify, 
declaring  that  Mr.  Erskine  had  no  authority  to  make  it. 
Recalling  him,  they  appointed  Mr.  Jackson  his  successor. 
In  a  correspondence    between  this  gentleman  and    the 


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276 


Madison's  administration. 


1810, 


secretary  of  state,  the  former  insinuated  that  the  American 
government  knew  that  Mr.  Erskine  was  not  authorized  to 
make  the  arrangement,  and  knew  of  course  that  it  would  not 
be  hinding  on  Great  Britain.  This  insinuation  was  distinct- 
ly denied  by  the  secretary,  but  was  subsequently  repeated, 
in  an  offensive  manner,  by  Mr.  Jackson.  He  was  imme- 
diately informed,  that,  on  account  of  his  indecorous  con- 
duct, no  other  communications  from  him  would  be  received. 
He  was  shortly  afterwards  recalled  by  his  government. 

The  nonintercourse  law  expired  in  May,  1810,  when  a 
proposition  was  made  equally  to  both  belligerants,  that  if 
either  would  revoke  its  hostile  edicts,  that  law  should  be 
revived  and  enforced  against  the  other.  In  August,  Bo- 
naparte, by  his  minister  of  state,  assured  Mr.  Armstrong, 
the  American  envoy  to  France,  that  the  BerHn  and  Milan 
decrees  were  revoked,  the  revocation  to  take  effect  on 
the  first  day  of  November,  ensuing.  Confiding  in  this  as- 
surance, the  president,  on  the  second  day  of  November, 
issued  his  proclamation,  declaring  that  all  intercourse  with 
Oreat  Britain  was  prohibited,  and  that  an  unrestrained 
commerce  with  France  was  allowed. 

Great  Britain  having  c^xpressed  a  willingness  to  repeal 
her  orders  whenever  France  should  repeal  her  decrees, 
she  was  now  called  upon,  by  the  American  envoy  to  fulfil 
her  engagement.  She  objected,  that  the  French  decrees 
could  not  be  considered  as  repealed,  a  letter  from  the 
minister  of  state  not  being,  for  that  purpose,  a  document  of 
sufficient  authority.  In  answer  to  this  objection,  proof 
was  presented  that  the  French  admiralty  courts  consider- 
ed them  repealed,  and  that  no  American  vessel, 'although 
many  had  entered  the  ports  of  France,  had  been  subjected 
to  their  provisions.  Great  Britain,  however,  still  persist- 
ed to  enforce  her  orders. 

For  this  purpose  she  had  stationed  ships  of  war  before 
the  principal  harbors  of  the  United  States.  All  Ameri- 
can merchantmen,  departing  or  returning,  were  boarded, 
searched,  and  many  of  them  sent  to  British  ports  as  leg»l 
prizes.  Impressments  too,  were  frequent,  and  the  British 
officers,  entertaining  exalted  ideas  of  their  naval  strength, 
and  holding  in  contempt  the  republican  fiug,  exhibited,  on 
all  occasions,  an  extreme  insolence  of  behavior,  which  na- 
tions as  well  as  individuals  expose  themselves  to  incur,  by 
long  and  patient  endurance  of  insult  and  aggression. 


]811. 


MADISON  8   ADMINISTRATION. 


277 


In  one  instance,  however,  thcii  insolence  was  deserved- 
ly punished.  Commodore  Rogers,  saihng  in  the  frigate 
President,  met,  in  the  evening,  a  vessel  on  the  coast  of 
Virginia.  He  hailed,  but  instead  of  receiving  an  answer, 
was  hailed  in  turn,  and  a  shot  was  fired  which  struck  the 
mainmast  of  the  President  The  fire  was  instantly  return- 
ed by  the  commodore,  and  continued  for  a  few  minutes, 
when  finding  his  antagonist  was  of  inferior  force,  and  that 
her  guns  were  almost  silenced,  he  desisted.  On  hailing 
again,  an  answer  was  given,  that  the  ship  was  the  British 
sloop  of  war  Little  Belt,  of  18  guns.  Thirty-two  of  her 
men  were  killed  and  wounded,  and  the  ship  was  much 
disabled. 

Mr.  Foster,  successor  to  Mr.  Jackson,  arrived  at  Wash- 
ington in  the  summer  of  1811,  and  proposed  terms  of 
reparation  for  the  attack  on  the  Chesapeak.  These  were, 
a  formal  disavowal  of  the  act,  restoration  to  the  frigate  of 
the  surviving  sailors  taken  from  it,  a  pecuniary  provision 
for  those  who  were  wounded,  and  for  the  famiUes  of  those 
who  were  killed.  These  terms  were  accepted  by  the 
president. 

But  the  British  envoy  could  give  no  assurance  that  his 
government  was  disposed  to  make  a  satisfactory  arrange- 
ment of  the  subject  of  impressment,  or  to  repeal  the  orders 
in  council.  These  orders,  on  the  contrary,  continued  to 
be  enforced  with  rigor  ;  and  on  the  restoration  of  a  free 
commerce  with  France,  a  large  number  of  American  ves- 
sels, laden  with  rich  cargoes,  and  destined  to  her  ports, 
fell  into  the  power  of  British  cruisers.  Such  was  now  the 
state  of  affairs,  that  the  United  States  suffered  the  evils  of 
war,  while  Great  Britain  enjoyed  the  advantages.  Her 
cruisers,  since  1803,  had  captured  nine  hundred  American 
vessels. 

The  patience  of  the  nation  was  exhausted  President 
Madison,  early  in  November,  1811,  called  congress  to- 
gether, laid  before  them  the  state  of /breign  relations,  and 
recommended  that  the  republic  should  be  placed  in  an 
attitude  to  maintain,  by  force,  its  wounded  honor  and  es- 
sential interests.  The  representatives  of  the  people, 
whose  sentiments  and  feelings  they  expressed,  determined 
to  act  in  accordance  with  the  views  of  the  president. 

Laws  were  enacted  providing  for  the  increase  of  the  re- 


34 


»r 


i--r- 


278 


MADISON^S    ADMINISTRATIolf. 


1812, 


gular  army  to  35,000  men  ;  for  the  augmentation  of  the 
naval  establishment ;  empowering  the  president  to  accept 
of  the  services  of  volunteers,  to  make  a  detachment  from 
the  militia,  and  to  borrow  eleven  millions  of  dollars.  It 
was  the  expectation  of  many  that  Great  Britain,  witnessing 
these  serious  preparations,  would  recede  from  the  stand 
she  had  taken. 

Events,  however,  occurred,  while  congress  were  in 
session,  which  considerably  diminished  this  expectation. 
For  several  years,  the  Indian  tnheQ  residing  near  the  re- 
mote lakes  and  the  sources  of  the  Missisippi,  had  display^ 
ed  symptoms  of  hostility,  murdering  a  number  of  whites 
and  robbing  others  of  their  property.  In  the  fall  of  181 1 , 
general  Harrison,  witii  a  small  force,  was  sent  into  their 
territories,  instructed  to  negotiate  if  possible,  but  to  fight 
if  necessary.  On  the  6th  of  November,  he  arrived  at  Tip- 
pecanoe, their  principal  town,  where  he  was  met  by  Indian 
messengers,  with  whom  an  agreement  was  made,  that  hos- 
tilities should  not  take  place  before  the  next  morning,  and 
that  then  an  amicable  conference  should  be  held. 

Just  before  daybreak,  the  savages,  in  violation  of  their 
engagement,  made  a  sudden  and  furious  attack  upon  the 
troops  in  their  encampment.  Nothing  but  the  precaution 
of  sleeping  in  order  of  battle,  on  their  arms,  saved  them 
from  total  defeat.  A  dreadful  slaughter  was  made  ;  but 
the  savages  were  finally  repulsed,  dispersed,  and  their  town 
laid  waste.  A  strong  belief  was  entertained*  founded  upon 
credible  testimony,  that  they  had  been  incited  to  hostility 
by  British  agents  stationed  among  them. 

In  February,  1812,  John  Henry,  who  had  once  resided 
in  Canada,  communicated  to  the  president  the  fact,  that  in 
1809,  he  had  been  employed  hj  governor  of  that  pro- 
Tince  upon  a  secret  mission  to  Lv  non,  the  metropolis  of 
the  New-England  states ;  and  that  he  was  instructed  to  con 
fer  with  the  disaffected,  upon  the  subject  of  a  separation  of 
tfaose  states  from  the  union,  and  their  forming  a  political 
connexion  with  Great  Britain.  He  exhibited  documents  in 
support  of  his  disclosures,  which  he  was  led  to  make,  by 
the  negletitof  his  employer  to  reward  him  for  his  services. 
It  did  not  appear  that  he  had  succeeded  in  corrupting  the 
fidelity  of  any  individual ;  but  the  attempt,  in  a  time  of 
peace,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  most  amicable  professions; 


1812. 


MADISON^S  ADMINISTRATION. 


279 


not  only  preserved  in  full  force,  but  increased  the  previous 
irritation.    ' 

Congress  continued  to  be  employed  until  the  20th  of 
May,  in  making  preparations  for  war,  still  cherishing  the 
hope  that  a  change  of  policy  in  Europe  would  render  un- 
necessary an  appeal  to  arms.  On  that  day,  the  Hornet  ar- 
rived from  London,  brinr;ing  information  that  no  prospect 
existed  of  a  favorable  change.  On  the  first  of  June,  the 
president  sent  a  message  to  congress,  recounting  the 
wrongs  received  from  Great  Britain,  and  submitting  the 
question  whether  the  United  States  should  continue  to  en- 
dure them  or  resort  to  war  ? 

The  message  was  considered  with  closed  doors.  On 
the  19th,  an  act  was  passed  declaring  war  against  Great- 
Britain  ;  and  the  next  day  a  proclamation  was  issued 
announcing  it  to  the  world.  Against  this  declaration  the 
representatives  belonging  to  the  federal  party  presented 
a  solemn  protest,  which  was  written  with  great  ability,  but 
showed  that  incessant  opposition  to  jthe  measures  of  the 
government  had  created  in  themselves  such  unfriendly 
feelings,  as  nothing  but  its  manifest  corruption  could  justify. 


S3. 


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als( 

is 

regl 

Unf 

ed 

blel 

in 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


CAMPAIGN  OF  1812. 


The  people  of  the  United  States  remembered  mth  pride 
the  patriotism  and  bravery  exhibited  by  their  army  in  the 
revolutionary  war.  A  long  period  of  peace  and  prosperity 
had  increased  their  confidence  in  their  oivn  strength  ;  and 
the  belief  was  generally  entertained,  that  victory  over  the 
same  foe  would  now  be  so  much  the  more  certainly  and 
easily  gained,  as  the  nation  was  more  rich  and  populous. 
They  did  not  reflect,  that  peace  had  impaired  the  military 
energies  of  the  republic,  while  their  enemy,  by  constant 
exercise  in  arms,  had  acquired  not  only  additional  strength, 
but  greater  skill  to  use  and  apply  it. 

From  the  veteran  officers,  who  had  acquired  fame  in  the 
former  conflict,  a  selection  was  made  to  fill  the  principal 
posts  in  the  new  army.  Henry  Dearborn,  ofMassachusetts, 
was  appointed  major-general  and  commander-in-chief.  He 
was  at  the  battle  of  Breed's  hill.  In  the  expedition  against 
Q,uebec,  he  served  as  a  captain  under  Arnold.  He  distin- 
guished himself  on  these  and  other  occasions ;  and  at  the 
close  of  the  war  bore  the  commission  of  colonel.  He  held, 
for  a  long  time,  the  office  of  secretary  of  war,  and  dis- 
charged its  duties  with  exemplary  industry  and  skill. 
Thomas  Pinkney,  of  South  Carolina,  was  also  appointed 
major-general.  Among  the  brigadiers  were  Wilkinson, 
Hull,  Hampton,  and  Bloomfield. 

At  the  time  of  the  declaration  of  war,  general  Hull  was 
also  governor  of  the  Michigan  territory,  of  which  Detroit 
is  the  capital.  On  the  12th  of  July,  with  two  thousand 
regulars  and  volunteers,  he  crossed  the  river  dividing  the 
United  States  from  Canada.  On  the  same  day,  he  address- 
ed a  proclamation  to  the  Canadians,  tendering  them  the 
blessings  of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  and  assuring  them, 
in  a  lofty  tone,  '*  that  his  force  was  sufficient  to  breakdown 

24* 


-Wl 


382 


MADISON  S  ADMINISTRATION. 


1812 


all  opposition,"  and  yet  was  but  the  vanguard  of  one  much 
greater.  It  appeared  to  be  his  purpose  to  attack  Maiden, 
and  thence  proceed  to  Montreal. 

Had  the  attack  been  instantly  made,  success  would  have 
been  highly  probable.  A  month  was  wasted  in  ruinous 
delay.  Distrust  and  contempt  expelled  confidence  and  at- 
tachment from  the  breasts  of  the  Canadians.  The  ardor 
of  the  troops  began  to  cool.  Maiden  was  reinforced  ;  and 
at  this  critical  moment,  information  was  received  that 
Mackinaw,  an  American  post  above  Detroit,  had  surren- 
dered to  a  large  body  of  British  and  Indians,  who  were 
rushing  down  the  river  in  numbers  sufficient  to  overwhelm 
the  American  forces.  Panic  struck,  general  Hull  hastened 
back  to  Detroit. 

General  Brock,  the  commander  at  Maiden,  pursued  him, 
with  a  for9^  superior  in  number,  but  composed  of  militia 
and  Indians.  On  the  14th  of  Angust,  he  erected  batteries 
opposite  Detroit.  The  next  day,  he  began  a  cannonade 
upon  the  American  fortifications  which  was  returned  with 
precision  and  effect.  On  the  16th,  the  enemy  cross- 
ed the  river,  taking  post  about  three  miles  above  the  city. 
Meeting  with  no  resistance,  and  hearing  that  some  of  the 
American  troops  were  absent,  general  Brock  resolved  to 
march  directly  forward  and  assault  the  fort. 

The  troops,  cool  and  undaunted,  awaited  in  good  order 
the  approach  of  the  enemy,  anticipating  an  easy  victory. 
To  the  astonishment  of  all,  general  Hull  forbade  the  artil- 
lery to  fire,  and  hung  out  a  white  flag  in  token  of  a  wish  to 
capitulate.  A  correspondence  between  the  two  generals 
was  immediately  opened,  which  ended  in  the  surrender  of 
the  army  and  of  the  territory  of  Michigan. 

It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  indignation  of  the  sol- 
diers and  citizens,  when  they  saw  themselves  delivered, 
by  the  authority  of  one  man,  into  the  power  of  an  enemy 
whom  they  supposed  they  might  easily  have  conquered. 
Many  believed  him  either  a  traitor  or  coward.  An  event 
so  disgraceful,  occurring  in  a  quarter  where  success  was 
confidently  anticipated,  caused  throughout  the  union  the 
greatest  mortification  and  amazement.  Stung  by  disap- 
pointment, all  united  in  censuring  general  Hull.  His 
greatest,  perhaps  his  only  fault,  was  want  of  decision  and 
energy. 

The  people  of  Ohio  and  Kentucky  were  alarmed.  Near- 


1812. 


Madison's  admlvistration. 


283 


!n. 


ly  ten  thousand  citizens  made  a  tender  of  their  services, 
and  a  part  of  them,  placed  under  the  command  of  general 
William  H.  Harrison,  marched  toward  the  territory  of 
Michigan.  But  great  and  numerous  were  the  difficulties 
encountered  ;  the  volunteers  were  unwilling  to  submit  to 
the  wholesome  restraints  of  discipline  ;  and  winter  arrived 
before  any  important  undertaking  could  be  accomplished. 
Several  incursions  were  made  into  the  country  of  the  sa- 
vages, who,  instigated  by  British  agents,  and  by  a  celebrat- 
ed Indian  prophet,  and  commanded  by  Tecumseh,  a  gal- 
lant warrior,  had  become  almost  universally  hostile. 

For  the  purpose  of  invading  Canada  in  another  quarter, 
an  army  of  regulars  and  militia  was  assembled  on  the  north- 
ern frontier  of  New-York.  It  was  far  less  numerous  than 
the  government  had  anticipated.  So  happy  was  the  con- 
dition of  even  the  poorest  class  of  American  citizens,  that 
but  few  could  be  induced  to  enlist  as  soldiers.  And  in 
some  of  the  states  the  plausible  doctrine  was  maintained, 
that  the  officers  of  the  general  government  have  no  power 
over  the  militia,  until  called  into  service  and  consigned  to 
their  authority,  by  the  state  executive,  and  that  even  then 
they  cannot  be  compelled  to  march  beyond  the  boundary 
of  the  republic.  Several  governors  actually  withheld  their 
militia,  when  called  for  by  the  president,  and  thus  dimin- 
ished the  amount  of  one  species  of  force  upon  which  the 
government  had  relied. 

General  Van  Rensselaer,  of  the  New- York  militia,  being 
the  senior  officer  on  that  frontier,  had  the  command  of 
these  troops,  which  were  called  the]  army  of  the  cen- 
tre. His  head  quarters  were  at  Lewistown,  on  ibM  river 
Niagara,  and  on  the  opposite  side  was  Queenstown,  a 
fortified  British  post.  The  militia  displaying  great  ea- 
gerness to  be  led  against  the  enemy,  the  general  determin- 
ed to  cross  over  to  Queenstown.  The  first  attempt  was 
defeated  by  tempestuous  weather.  On  the  13th  of  Octo« 
ber,  a  party,  led  by  colonel  Van  Rensselaer,  effected  a 
landing,  although'opposed  by  a  British  force  stationed  on 
the  bank.  The  colonel  being  severely  wounded,  the 
troops  under  captains  Ogilvie  and  Wool,  advanced  to  storm 
the  fort.  They  gained  possession^  but  at  the  moment  of 
success,  general  Brock  arrived,  from  a  neighboring  post, 
Kith  a  reinforcement  of  six  hundred  men.  These,  al- 
though most  nuDierous,  were  gallantly  driven  back  by  the 


m 


MADISON  9  ADMINISTRATION. 


1012. 


American  troops.     In  attempting  to  rally  them,  general 
Brock  was  killed. 

General  Van  Rensselaer,  who  had  previously  crossed 
over,  now  returned  to  hasten  the  embarcation  of  the  rear 
division.  To  his  astonishment,  those  who  had  lately 
shown  such  eagerness  to  meet  the  enemy,  now  utterly  re- 
fused to  pass  beyond  the  national  boundary.  He  entreated 
and  remonstrated,  but  in  vain.  Meanwhile  the  enemy, 
having  received  another  reinforcement,  advanced  to  at- 
tack the  Americans  in  the  fort.  A  desperate  and  bloody 
conflict  ensued,  of  which  the  militia  were  tame  spectators. 
In  the  end,  the  British  were  completely  victorious.  Of 
one  thousand  men,  who  crossed  into  Canada,  but  few  ef- 
fected their  escape. 

Soon  after,  General  Van  Rensselaer  retired  from  the 
service  and  was  succeeded  by  general  Alexander  Smyth, 
of  Virginia.  In  a  turgid  address  to  the  *♦  Men  of  New-York,'' 
he  announced  that,  in  a  few  days,  he  should  plant  the 
American  standard  in  Canada,  and  invited  them  to  share  in 
the  danger  and  glory  of  the  enterprise.  His  force  was  in- 
creased, by  those  who  obeyed  his  call,  to  4500  men.  The 
morning  of  the  28th  of  November  was  assigned  as  the  time 
for  crossing.  So  tardy  were  the  movements  of  the  troops, 
that  until  afternoon,  the  first  division  was  not  ready  to 
leave  the  American  shore.  The  enemy  appeared  in  force 
on  the  opposite  bank  ;  a  council  of  oflicers  decided  that  it 
was  inexpedient,  at  that  time,  to  cross ;  and  the  troops 
were  ordered  to  debark.  They  were  disappointed  and 
dissatisfied ;  but  their  clamor  was  appeased  by  the  as- 
surance that  another  attempt  would  speedily  be  made. 

The  next  day,  they  received  orders  to  be  in  reiidiness 
to  embark  on  the  first  of  December.  But  their  first  dis- 
appointment had  sensibly  damped  their  ardor.  At  the  ap- 
pointed hour,  the  boats  were  not  ready  to  move ;  and 
when  ready,  but  1500  men  were  found  willing  to  cross. 
A  council  of  war  decided  unanimously  against  proceeding, 
and  again  the  troops  were  ordered  to  debark.  The  plan 
of  invading  Canada  was  abandoned  for  the  season.  The 
blame  of  these  failures  was  attributed,  by  the  soldiers,  to 
their  commander ;  and  so  highly  were  they  exasperated, 
that,  for  several  days,  his  life  was  in  danger  from  their 
fury. 

The  army  of  the  north,  which  was  under  the  immediate 


in 

th< 

gat 

^\^ 

of 

to 

va 

va 

m 


1813, 


MADISON  «  ADMIMSTftAlION-. 


285 


sed 
ear 

tely 
re- 

ated 

my, 
at- 
Body 


ccrmmand  of  general  Dearborn,  was  stationed  at  Qreen« 
bush,  near  Albany,  and  at  Piattsburg,  on  lake  ChannplaiD. 
From  the  latter  post,  a  detachment  marched  a  short  dis* 
tance  into  Canada,  surprised  a  small  body  of  British  and 
Indians,  and  destroyed  a  considerable  quantity  of  public 
stores.  Other  movements  were  aniiously  eipected  by 
the  people  ;  but  after  the  misfortunes  at  Detroit  and  Niaga- 
ra, the  general  deemed  it  inexpedient  to  engage  in  any 
important  enterprise. 

Thus  ended  the  campaign  of  18 12.  Although,  on  many 
other  occasions,  extraordinary  gallantry  had  been  display- 
ed, yet  nothing  was  accomplished,  and  the  losses  sustained 
were  numerous  and  heavy.  They  who  approved  of  the 
declaration  of  war  felt  disappointed,  mortified,  and  deject- 
ed. They  attributed  most  of  the  misfortunes  of  the  coun- 
try to  the  conduct  of  the  federalists,  whom  they  accused 
of  endeavoring  to  prevent  enlistments  into  the  army,  and 
of  maintaining  the  most  pernicious  doctrines  in  relation  to 
the  militia.  The  federalists,  on  the  other  hand,  attributed 
these  repeated  failures  to  the  imbecility  of  the  administra- 
tion, and  to  the  unwise  selection  of  military  officers.  They 
assumed  a  boldftr  tone  of  censure,  and  evinced  a  more  de- 
termined spirit  of  opposition. 

But  while,  on  land,  defeat  and  disgrace  attended  the 
arms  of  the  republic,  on  the  ocean,  where  the  injuries 
which  led  to  the  war  had  been  inflicted,  they  gained  a  rich 
harvest  of  victory  and  glory.  Upon  the  declaration  of 
war,  the  American  officers  and  seamen  glowed  with  ardor 
to  avenge  the  sufferings  of  their  impressed  fellow-citizens, 
and  to  vindicate  the  honor  of  the  republican  flag.  Those 
ships  of  war,  which  were  ready  for  sea,  immediately  sailed 
in  search  of  the  enemy. 

On  the  19th  of  August,  captain  Hull,  who  commanded 
the  Constitution  of  forty-four  guns,  descried  a  British  fri- 
gate. His  crew,  giving  three  cheers,  requested  to  be 
placed  alongside  of  their  antagonist.  For  three  quarters 
of  an  hour,  the  latter  endeavored,  by  skilful  manoeuvring, 
to  obtain  the  advantage  of  position.  Defeated  in  this,  she  ad- 
vanced towards  the  Constitution,  firing  broadsides  at  inter- 
vals. When  she  had  approached  within  half  pistol  shot,  a  tre- 
mendous cannonade  burst  upon  her  from  the  American 


38C 


MADISON  S  ACMINiSTRATlON. 


1812. 


frigate.    In  thirty  minutes,  every  mast  and  nearly  every 
spar  being  ahot  away,  she  struck  her  flag. 

She  vraa  found  to  be  the  Ouerriere  of  thirty-eight  guns, 
commanded  by  captain  Dacres.  Of  her  crew,  fifty  were 
killed  and  sixty- four  wounded.  She  had  received  so  much 
injury  that  it  was  thought  to  be  impossible  to  get  her  into 
port,  and  she  was  burned.  The  injury  sustaineu  by  the 
Constitution  was  slight ;  of  her  crew  seven  were  killed 
and  seven  wounded.  Although  she  carried  a  few  more 
guns  than  her  antagonist,  yet  the  immense  disparity  of 
effect  clearly  demonstrated  the  superior  skill  of  the  Ame- 
rican seamen.  Captain  Hull,  on  his  return  to  the  United 
States,  was  welcomed  with  enthusiasm,  by  his  grateful  and 
admiring  countrymen,  who  conferred  upon  him  those  ho- 
nors and  distinctions  most  dear  to  the  patriot  and  hero. 

But  this  was  the  first  only  of  a  series  of  naval  victories, 
On  the  18th  of  October,  captain  Jones,  in  the  Wasp,  ot 
eighteen  guns,  captured  the  Frolic  6f  twenty-two,  after  a 
bloody  conflict  of  three  quarters  of  an  hour.  In  this  action , 
the  Americans  obtained  a  victory  over  a  force  decidedly 
superior.  On  their  part,  but  eight  were  killed  and  wound- 
ed ;  on  that  of  the  enemy,  about  eighty!  On  the  25th  the 
frigate  United  States,  commanded  by  captain  Decatur,  en- 
countered and  captured  the  British  frigate  Macedonian. 
The  former  carried  a  few  guns  the  most,  but  the  disparity 
of  loss  was  astonishingly  great.  On  the  part  of  the  enemy, 
a  hundred  and  four  were  killed  and  wounded  ;  on  that  of 
the  Americans,  but  eleven  !  The  Wasp  was  unfortunately 
captured,  soon  after  her  victory,  by  a  British  ship  of  the 
line  ;  the  United  States  brought  her  prize  safely  to  New- 
York. 

A  fourth  naval  battle  was  fought,  and  a  fourth  victory 
gained,  on  the  29th  of  December.  On  that  day,  the  Con- 
stitution of  forty-four  ^ans,  then  commanded  by  Captain 
Bainbridge,  captured  the  British  frigate  Java  of  thirty- 
eight.  The  combat  continued  more  than  three  hours. 
The  Java  was  reduced  to  a  wreck ;  of  her  crew  a  hundred 
and  sixty-one  were  killed  and  wounded ;  of  that  of  the 
Constitution  thirty-four. 

These  successive  victories  were  peculiarly  gratifying  to 
the  feelings  of  the  nation ;  they  were  gained  in  the  midst 


■^- 


into 
the 
lied 


1012. 


5IAD1S0N*S  ADIUNISTIIATIOX. 


287 


ofdiBasters  on  land,  and  by  that  class  of  citizens  whose 
rights  had  been  violated  :  they  were  gained  over  a  people 
claiming  to  be  lords  of  the  sea,  whom  long  continued  suc- 
cess had  rendered  haughty  and  insolent,  and  who  had  con- 
fidently boasted  that  the  whole  American  navy  would  30011 
be  swept  from  the  ocean. 

Many  British  merchantmen  were  likewise  captured  by 
the  American  navy.  Privateers  likewise  issued  from  al- 
most cverv  port,  and  were  remarkably  successful.  The 
number  of  prizes  made  during  the  first  seven  months  of  the 
war  exceeded  five  hundred. 


.b 


M 


t»: 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


CAMPAIGN  OF  1813. 


At  the  commencement  of  the  session  of  congress,  held 
in  the  autumn  of  1812,  the  president,  in  his  message,  stated 
that  immediately  after  the  declaration  of  war,  he  commu- 
nicated to  the  British  government  the  terms  on  which  Its 
progress  might  be  arrested  ;  that  these  terms  were,  the 
repeal  of  the  orders  in  council,  the  discharge  of  American 
seamen,  cind  the  abandonment  of  the  practice  of  impress- 
ment ;  and  that  the  ministry  had  declined  to  accede  to  his 
offers. 

He  also  stated,  that  at  an  early  period  of  the  war,  he  had 
received  official  information  of  the  repeal  of  the  orders  in 
council  f  that  two  propositions  for  an  armistice  had  been 
made  to  him,  both  of  which  he  had  rejected,  as  they  could 
not  have  been  accepted  without  conceding  to  Great  Britain 
the  light  of  impressment. 

The  rejection  of  these  propositions  was  approved  by  the 
national  representatives,  who,  fiir  from  abandoning  the 
ground  they  hud  taken,  adopted  more  vigorous  measures 
for  the  prosecution  of  the  war.  The  bounty,  and  the  wages 
of  soldiers,  were  increased.  The  president  was  authorized 
to  raise  twenty  additional  regiments  of  infantry,  to  issue 
treasury  notes,  and  to  borrow  money.  Provision  was  also 
made  for  building  four  ships  of  the  line,  six  frigates,  and 
as  many  vessels  of  war  on  the  great  lakes  as  the  public 
service  might  require. 

So  great  was  the  desire  of  the  citizens  of  the  western 
country  to  regain  possession  of  the  territory  of  Michigan, 
that,  in  order  to  effect  it,  general  Harrison  resolved  to  un- 
dertake a  winter  campaign.  General  Winchester,  with  a 
portion  of  the  western  army,  proceeded  in  advance  to 
Trenchtown,  a  village  on  the  river  Raisin,  not  far  from 

25 


■h 


290 


MADISON'S  ADMINISTRATION. 


1813, 


Detroit.  A  British  party  stationed  in  tiie  Tillage  was  at- 
tacked, routed,  and  entirely  dispersed. 

The  Americans  encamped  near  the  field  of  battle,  a  part 
of  them  being  protected  by  close  garden  pickets.  Although 
near  an  enemy's  post,  but  little  precaution  was  taken  to 
prevent  a  surprize.  Early  in  the  morning  of  the  22d  of 
January,  they  were  attacked  by  a  large  force  of  British  and 
Indians,  the  former  commanded  by  colonel  Procter,  the 
latter  by  the  chiefs  Roundhead  and  Splitlog.  The  troops 
in  the  open^  field  were  thrown  into  disorder.  General 
Winchester,  aad  other  officers,  m<ide  an  ineffectual  attempt 
to  rally  them.  They  fled,  but  while  attempting  to  escape 
were  mostly  killed  by  the  Indians.  The  general  and  co- 
lonel Lewis  were  made  prisoners. 

The  troops  behind  the  pickets  maintained  the  contest 
with  undaunted  bravery.  At  length  colonel  Procter  as- 
sured general  Winchester,  that  if  the  remainder  of  the 
Americans  would  immediately  surrender,  they  should  be 
protected  from  massacre ;  but  otherwise  he  would  set  fire 
to  the  village,  and  would  not  be  responsible  fpr  the  conduct 
of  the  savages.  Intimidated  by  this  threiU,  general  Win- 
Chester  sent  an  order  to  the  troops  to  surrender,  which 
they  obeyed. 

Colonel  Procter,  leaving  the  wounded  without  a  guard, 
marched  back  immediately  to  Maiden.  The  Indians  accom- 
panied them  a  few  miles, but  returned  early  the  next  morn- 
ing. Deeds  of  horror  followed.  The  wounded  officers 
were  dragged  from  the  houses,  killed  and  scalped  in  the 
streets.  The  buildings  were  set  on  fire.  Some  who  at- 
tempted to  escape  were  forced  back  into  the  flames.  Others 
were  put  to  death  by  the  tomahawk,  and  left  shockingly 
mangled  in  the  highway.  The  infamy  of  this  butchery 
should  not  fall  upon  the  perpetrators  alone.  It  must  rest 
equally  upon  those  who  instigated  them  to  hostility,  by 
whose  side  they  fought,  who  were  able,  and  were  bound 
by  a  selemn  engagement  to  restrain  them. 

The  battle  and  massacre  at  Frenchtown  clothed  Ken- 
tucky and  Ohio  in  mourning.  Other  volunteers,  indignan' 
at  the  treachery  and  cruelty  of  their  foes,  hastened  to  the 
aid  of  Harrison.  He  marched  to  the  rapids  of  the  Miami, 
where  he  erected  a  fort,  which  he  called  fort  Meigs,  in 
honor  of  the  governor  of  Ohio.  On  the  first  of  May,  it  Wiis 


13, 


1813. 


MADISON  S    ADMINISTRATION. 


S91 


at- 


invested  by  a  large  number  of  Indians,  and  by  a  party  of 
British  troops  from  Maiden,  the  whole  commanded  by  co- 
lonel Procter. 

Five  days  aft»?  ards,  general  Clay,  at  the  head  of  1200 
Kentiickians,  marie  an  attempt  to  raise  the  siege.  Dividing 
his  force  into  several  parties,  and  making  an  impetuous 
onset,  he  drove  the  besiegers  from  their  works.  His 
troops,  supposing  the  victory  complete  and  disregarding 
the  orders  of  their  commander,  dispersed  into  the  woods. 
The  enemy  returning  from  their  flight,  obtained  an  easy 
victory.  Of  the  Americans,  two  or  three  hundred  escaped 
into  the  fort ;  about  three  hundred  were  killed  or  made 
prisoners.  The  remainder  fled  to  the  nearest  settlements. 
The  enemy  sustained  considerable  loss. 

The  fort  continued  to  be  defended  with  bravery  and 
skill.  The  Indians,  unaccustomed  to  sieges,  became  weary 
and  discontented.  On  the  8th  of  May,  notwithstanding  the 
entreaties  of  their  chief,  Tecumseh,  they  deserted  their 
allies.  On  the  9th,  the  enemy  despairing  of  success,  made 
a  precipitate  retreat.  General  Harrison,  leaving  general 
Clay  in  command,  returned  to  Ohio  for  reinforcements  \ 
but  in  this  quarter  active  operations  were  not  resumed  un- 
til a  squadron  had  been  built  and  prepared  for  action  on 
lake  Erie. 

At  Sackett's  Harbor,  on  the  northern  frontier,  a  body  of 
troops  had  been  assembled  under  the  command  of  general 
Dearborn,  and  great  exertions  were  made  by  commodore 
Chauncey,  to  build  and  equip  a  squadron  on  lake  Ontario, 
sufliciently  powerful  to  contend  with  that  of  the  enemy.  By 
the  26th  of  April,  the  naval  preparations  were  so  far  com- 
pleted that  the  general,  and  nOO  troops,  were  conveyed 
across  the  lake  to  the  attack  of  York,  the  capital  of  Upper 
Canada. 

On  the  27th,  an  advanced  party,  led  by  brigadier-gene- 
ral Pike,  who  was  born  in  a  camp  and  bred  a  soldier  from 
his  birth,  landed,  although  opposed  at  the  water's  edge  by 
a  superior  force.  After  a  short  but  severe  conflict,  the 
enemy  were  driven  to  their  fortifications.  The  rest  of  the 
troops  having  landed,  the  whole  party  pressed  forward, 
carried  the  tirst  battery  by  assault,  and  were  moving  to* 
*vards  the  main  works,  when  the  enemy's  magazine  blew 


-^ 


292 


uadison's  administration. 


1813, 


up,  with  a  tremendous  explosion,  hurling  upon  the  ad- 
vancing troops  immense  quantities  of  stone  and  timber. 

Numbers  were  killed,  the  gallant  Pike  received  a  mortal 
wound ;  the  troops  halted  for  a  moment,  but  recovering 
from  the  shock,  again  pressed  forward  and  soon  gained 
possession  of  the  town.  Of  the  British  troops,  one  hun- 
dred  were  killed,  nearly  three  hundred  were  wounded, 
and  the  same  number  made  prisoners.  Of  the  Americans, 
three  hundred  and  twenty  were  killed  and  wounded,  and 
nearly  all  of  them  by  the  explosion  of  the  magazine.  The 
flag  which  waved  over  the  fort  was  carried  to  the  dying 
Pike  ;  at  his  desire  it  was  placed  under  his  head,  when, 
with  the  smile  of  triumph  on  his  lips,  he  expired. 

The  object  of  the  expedition  attained,  the  squadron  and 
troops  returned  to  Sackett's  Harbor,  whence  the  wounded 
and  prisoners  being  landed,  and  other  troops  taken  on 
board,  it  sailed  to  Fort  George,  situated  at  the  head  of  the 
Lake.  After  a  warm  engagement,  the  enemy  abandoned, 
and  the  Americans  entered  the  fort.  The  fugitives  retired 
to  the  heights,  at  the  head  of  Burlington  bay.  On  their 
retreat,  they  were  joined  by  a  detachment  from  fort  Eric 
and  Chippeway.  Two  brigades,  under  generals  Chandler 
and  Winder  were  despatched  in  pursuit.  On  the  evening 
of  the  5th  of  June,  they  encamped  at  Stoney  Creek,  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  enemy,  who,  considering  their  situation 
desperate,  turned  upon  their  pursuers  and  attacked  them 
in  the  night. 

The  Americans  received  them  with  coolness  ;  but  such 
was  the  darkness,  that  general  Chandler,  intending  to  place 
himself  at  the  head  of  his  artillery,  threw  himself  into  the 
midst  of  a  British  party.  A  few  minutes  afterwards,  the 
same  mistake  was  committed  by  general  Winder.  Satisfied 
with  the  capture  of  these  officers,  and  a  few  other  prison- 
ers, the  enemy  made  a  precipitate  retreat.  The  American 
troops  returned  to  fort  George.  This  misfortune  was  soon 
followed  by  another.  Lieutenant-colonel  Boerstler  having 
been  sent  with  500  men,  to  disperse  a  body  of  the  enemy 
collected  at  the  Beaver  Dams,  was  surrounded,  and  the 
whole  detachment  made  prisoners. 

While  the  greater  part  of  the  American  army  was  thus 
employed  in  Canada,  the  British  made  an  attack  upon  the 
important  post  of  Sackett's  Harbor.    On  the  27th  of  May, 


1813. 


Madison's  administration. 


293 


ad' 


their  squadron  appeared  before  the  town.  Alarm  guns 
instantly  assembled  the  citizens  of  the  neighborhood. 
General  Brown  of  the  New-York  militia  commanded  in 
chief,  his  whole  force  amounting  to  about  one  thousand 
men.  By  his  orders  a  slight  breast  work  was  hastily 
thrown  up,  at  the  only  place  where  the  enemy  could  land. 
Behind  this,  he  placed  the  milita,  the  regulars  under  col' 
onel  Backus  forming  a  second  line. 

On  the  morning  of  the  29th,  one  thousand  British  troops 
landed  from  the  squadron.  They  advanced  toward  the 
breastwork.  The  militia,  seized  with  a  sudden  panic,  fled 
in  confusion.  Colonel  Mills,  in  a  vain  attempt  to  rally 
them,  was  mortally  wounded.  The  regulars,  after  a  spirited 
resistance,  were  compelled  to  retire  towards  the  town,  but 
in  their  retreat  they  took  possession  of  the  houses  on  the 
rojid.  From  these  coverts  they  poured  so  destructive  a 
Tire  upon  the  British  column,  that  it  halted  and  fell  back. 
General  Brown,  by  a  stratagem,  converted  this  slight  check 
into  a  precipitate  flight.  Ccllecting  the  panic  struck  mili- 
tia,  he  directed  their  course  along  a  road,  which,  while  it 
led  from  the  village,  appeared  to  the  British  commander 
to  lead  to  the  place  of  landing.  Perceiving  them  marching 
with  great  speed,  he  supposed  that  their  object  was  to  cut 
off  his  retreat,  and  re-embarked  so  hastily  as  to  leave  be- 
hind most  of  his  wounded.  General  Brown,  in  recom- 
pense for  his  services,  was  appointed  a  brigadier  in  the 
regular  army. 

Meanwhile,  upon  the  sea  coast,  a  distressing  and  pre- 
datory war  was  carried  on  by  large  detachments  from  the 
powerful  navy  of  Great  Britain.  One  squadron,  stationed 
in  Delaware  bay,  captured  and  burned  every  merchant  ves- 
sel which  came  within  its  reach.  The  inhabitants  of  Lew- 
iston  in  the  state  of  Delaware,  having  refused  to  sell  pro- 
visions to  the  enemy,  the  village  was  bombarded  and  seve- 
ral attempts  were  made  to  land,  but  they  were  defeated  5y 
the  militia. 

Early  in  the  Spring  another  and  more  powerful  squadron 
arrived  in  Chesapeake  bay.  It  was  commanded  by  admi- 
ral Cockburn,  who,  departing  from  the  usual  modes  of 
honorable  warfare,  directed  his  efforts  principally  against 
unoffending  citizens  and  peaceful  villages.  The  farm- 
houses and  gentlemen's  seats  near  the  shore  were  plunder- 

25* 


294 


Madison's  administration^ 


isi^. 


ed,  and  the  cattle  driven  away  or  wantonly  slaughtered . 
Frenchtown,  Havre  de  Grace,  Fredricktown,  and  George-^ 
town  were  sacked  and  burned.  Norfolk  was  saved  from 
a  similar  fate  by  the  determined  bravery  of  a  small  force 
stationed  on  Craney  Island  in  the  harbor.  A  furious  at- 
tack was  made  upon  Hampton,  which  notwithstanding  the 
gallant  resistance  of  its  small  garrison,  was  captured,  and 
the  unfortunate  inhabitants  suffered  all  which  a  brutal  and 
unrestrained  soldiery  could  inflict. 

The  ocean,  in  the  mean  time,  had  been  the  theatre  of 
sanguinary  conflicts,  in  which  the  victors  gained  untarnish- 
ed laurels.  Captain  Lawrence,  in  the  sloop  of  war  Hor- 
net, discovering,  in  the  neutral  port  of  San  Salvador,  a 
British  sloop  of  war  of  superior  force,  challenged  her  com- 
mander to  meet  him  at  sea.  The  challenge  being  declin- 
ed, Captain  Lawrence  blockaded  the  port  until  forced  by 
a  ship  of  the  line  to  retire. 

Soon  after,  on  the  23d  of  February,  the  Hornet  met  the 
Britsh  brig  Peacock  of  about  equal  force.  A  flerce  com- 
bat ensued.  In  less  than  fifteen  minutes,  the  Peacock 
struck  her  colors,  displaying,  at  the  same  time,  a  signal  of 
distress.  The  victors  hastened  to  the  relief  of  the  van- 
quished, and  the  same  strength  which  had  been  exerted  to 
conquer  was  now  exerted  to  save.  Their  eflbrts  were 
hut  partially  successful.  She  sunk  before  all  her  crew 
could  be  removed,  carrying  down  nine  British  seamen  and 
thrse  brave  and  generous  Americans.  In  the  battle,  the 
loss  of  the  Hornet  was,  but  one  killed  and  two  wounded  . 
that  of  the  Peacock  was  never  ascertained. 

On  his  return  to  the  United  States,  captain  Lawrence 
was  promoted  to  the  command  of  the  frigate  Chesapeake, 
thea  in  the  harbor  of  Boston.  For  several  weeks,  the 
^British  frigate  Shannon,  of  equal  force  but  having  a  select 
ed  crew,  had  been  cruising  before  the  {lort ;  and  captain 
Broke,  her  commander,  had  announced  his  wish  to  meet, 
in  single  combat,  an  American  frigate.  Inflamed  by  this 
challaoge,  captain  Lawrence,  although  his  crew  was  just 
enlisted,  and  his  officers  were  strangers  to  him  and  to  each 
other,  set  sail,  on  the  first  of  June,  in  pursuit  of  the  Shan- 
non. 

Towards  evening  of  the  same  day,  they  met,  and  in- 
stantly engaged,  with  unexanoplisd  fury.    In  a  very  f|ew 


1813. 


Madison's  admimstranion 


Qor, 


om 
rce 
at- 
the 
and 
and 


minutes,  and  in  quick  succession,  the  sailing  master  of  the 
Chesapeake  was  killed,  captain  Lawrence  and  three  Lieu- 
tenants were  severely  wounded,  her  rigging  was  so  cut  to 
pieces  that  she  fell  on  board  the  Shannon,  her  chest  of 
arms  blew  up,  captain  Lawrence  received  a  second  and 
mortal  wound  and  was  carried  below  ;  at  this  instant,  the 
position  of  the  ships  being  favorable,  captain  Broke,  at  the 
head  of  his  marines,  gallantly  boarded  the  Chesapeake, 
when  every  officer  who  could  take  command  being  killet! 
or  wounded,  resistance  ceased,  and  the  American  flag  was 
struck  by  the  enemy. 

That  fortune  favored  the  Shannon  cannot  be  doubted. 
That  the  event  would  have  been  the  same  had  fortune 
favored  neither,  is  rendered  probable  by  the  astonishing 
effect  of  her  fire.  This  unexpected  defeat  impelled  the 
Americans  to  seek  for  circumstances  consoling  to  their 
pride,  and  in  the  journals  of  the  day,  many  such  were  stat- 
ed to  have  preceded  and  attended  the  action.  But  nothing 
could  allay  their  grief  at  the  fall  of  the  youthful  and  intre- 
pid Lawrence.  His  previous  victory  and  magnanimous 
conduct  had  rendered  him  the  favorite  of  the  nation,  and 
he  was  lamented  with  sorrow,  deep,  sincere,  and  lasting. 
When  carried  below,  he  was  asked  if  the  colors  should  be 
struck.  "  No,"  he  replied,  "  they  shall  wave  while  I  live." 
When  the  fate  of  the  ship  was  decided,  his  proud  spirit 
was  broken.  He  became  delirious  from  excess  of  mental 
and  bodily  suffering.  Whenever  able  to  speak,  he  would 
exclaim,  *'  Don't  give  up  the  ship !"  an  expression  conse- 
crated by  his  countrymen  ;  and  he  uttered  but  few  other 
words  during  the  four  days  that  he  survivejd  his  defeat. 

This  victory  was  not  achieved  without  loss.  Of  the 
crew  of  the  Shannon,  twenty-four  were  killed  and  fifty-six 
wounded.  Of  that  of  the  Chesapeake,  forty  eight  were 
killed  and  nearly  one  hundred  wounded.  Great  was  the 
exultation  of  the  enemy.  V^ictories  over  the  frigates  of 
other  nations  were  occurrences  too  common  to  excite 
emotion ;  but  the  capture  of  an  American  frigate  was  con- 
sidered a  glorious  epoch  in  the  naval  history  of  Great  Bri- 
tain. The  honors  and  rewards  bestowed  upon  captain 
Broke  were  such  as  had  never  before  been  received  but 
by  the  conqueror  of  a  squadron.  These  demonstrations 
of  triumph  were  inadvertent  confessions  of  American  su- 


'*^"\ 


296 


MADISON  S  ADMINISTRATION. 


1813. 


pcriority  ;  and  were,  to  the  vanquished  themselves,  sour- 
ces of  triumph  and  consolation. 

The  next  encounter  at  sea  was  between  the  American 
brig  Argus  and  the  British  brig  Pelican.  The  latter  was  of 
superior  force,  and  was  victorious.  Soon  after,  the  Ame- 
rican brig  Enterprise,  commanded  by  lieutenant  Burrows, 
captured  the  British  brig  Boxer,  commanded  by  captain 
Blyth.  These  vessels  were  of  equal  force,  but  the  great- 
er effect  of  the  fire  of  the  Enterprise  furnished  to  the  Ameri- 
cans another  proof  of  the  superior  skill  of  their  seamen.  Both 
commanders  were  killed  in  the  action,  and  were  buried, 
each  by  the  other's  side,  in  Portland. 

The  events  of  the  war  again  call  our  attention  to  the 
northwestern  frontier.  While  each  nation  was  busily  em- 
ployed in  equipping  a  squadron  on  lake  Erie,  general  Clay 
remained  inactive  at  Fort  Meigs.  About  the  last  of  July, 
a  large  number  of  British  and  Indians  appeared  before  the 
fort,  hoping  to  entice  the  garrison  to  a  general  action  in  the 
field.  After  waiting  a  few  days  without  succeeding,  they 
decamped,  and  proceeded  to  fort  Stephenson,  on  the  river 
Sandusky.  This  fort  was  little  more  than  a  picketing  sur- 
rounded by  a  ditch  ;  and  the  garrison  consisted  of  but  160 
men,  who  were  commanded  by  major  Croghan,  a  youth  of 
twenty  one.  On  the  first  of  August,  it  was  invested  by  500 
regulars  and  800  Indians. 

After  a  cannonade,  which  continued  two  days,  the  enemy, 
in  the  evening,  supposing  a  breach  had  been  made,  ad- 
vanced to  assault  the  works.  Anticipating  this,  major 
Croghan  had  planted  a  six  pounder,  the  only  piece  of  can- 
non in  the  fort,  in  a  position  to  enfilade  the  ditch.  It  was 
loaded  with  grape  shot  and  slugs,  and  was  discharged  the 
instant  the  assailants  arrived  before  it.  The  British  com- 
mander and  many  of  his  men  were  killed,  and  many  others 
severely  wounded.  The  remainder,  in  haste  and  disorder, 
retreated  to  their  former  position,  and  at  dawn  of  day  re- 
tired to  Maiden. 

The  youthful  Croghan,  for  his  valor  and  good  conduct, 
was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant  colonel.  He  and 
his  brave  companions  received  the  thanks  of  congress ; 
sThd  to  evince  their  respect  for  his  virtues,  the  ladies  of 
Chillicothe  presented  to  him  an  elegant  sword. 

In  the  mean  time,  by  the  exertions  of  commodore  Perry, 


e( 

(C 


e( 

61 

a 

e( 

d^ 

ei 

h 

iti 


13. 


1813. 


MAOI»ON  S   ADMINISTRATION. 


29r 


the 


an  ALf'.ei'ican  squadron  had  been  prepared  for  service  on 
lake  Erie.  It  consisted  of  nine  small  vessels,  all  carrying 
fifty-four  guns.  A  British  squadron  had  also  been  built  and 
equipped,  under  the  suprintendence  of  commodore  Bar- 
clay.    It  consisted  of  six  vessels  mounting  63  guns. 

Commodore  Perry,  immediately  sailing,  offered  battle 
to  his  adversary.  On  the  tenth  of  September,  the  British 
commander,  having  the  wind  in  his  favor,  left  the  harbor 
of  Maiden,  to  accept  the  offer.  In  a  few  hours,  the  wind 
shifted,  giving  the  Americans  the  advantage.  Perry, 
forming  the  line  of  battle,  hoisted  his  flag,  on  which  were 
inscribed  the  words  of  the  dying  Lawrence,  ''  Don't  give 
up  the  ship."  Loud  huzzas  from  all  the  vessels  proclaim- 
ed the  animation  with  which  this  motto  inspired  their  pa- 
triotic crews. 

About  noon,  the  firing  commenced  ;  but  the  wind  being 
light,  the  Lawrence,  the  commodore's  flag  ship,  was  the 
only  American  vessel  that  could,  at  first,  engage  in  close 
action.  For  two  hours,  she  contended  alone  with  two 
vessels,  each  nearly  her  equal  in  force.  All  but  seven  of 
her  crew  were  either  killed  or  wounded,  and  she,  by  the 
damage  she  had  received,  was  rendered  wholly  unmanage- 
able. The  wind  springing  up,  captain  Elliot  was  at  length 
enabled  to  bring  the  Niagara  into  action.  To  this  ship, 
commodore  Perry,  sailing  in  an  open  boat  through  the 
midst  of  the  fire,  transferred  his  flag.  Again  the  combat 
raged  with  undiminished  fury.  In  a  short  time,  one  of  the 
British  vessels  surrendered,  and  soon  after  another  ;  and 
the  rest  of  the  American  squadron  now  joining  in  the  ac- 
tion, the  victory  was  rendered  decisive  and  complete.  At 
four  o'clock,  the  brave  and  fortunate  commander  despatch- 
ed to  general  Harrison,  at  fort  Meigs,  this  laconic  epistle  : 
*'  We  have  met  the  enemy,  and  they  are  ours," 

Great  was  the  joy  which  this  brilliant  victory  occasion- 
ed throughout  the  union.  That  it  was  achieved  over  a 
superior  force ;  that  it  was  the  first  ever  gained  over 
a  squadron  ;  that  it  was  entirely  decisive ;  that  it  open- 
ed the  wfiy  to  the  recovery  of  all  that  had  been  lost  by  the 
defeat  of  general  Hull, — were  circumstances  which  threw 
every  other  victory  into  the  sh<ide,  and  cast  the  brightest 
luster  upon  the  characters  of  the  heroes  who  had  gained 
it.     At  every  place  that  he  visited,  the  gallant  Perry  re- 


298 


Madison's  administration. 


1813. 


ceived  the  most  flattering  proofs  of  a  nation's  gratitude  and 
love. 

As  soon  as  general  Harrison,  who  had  been  joined  by 
governor  Shelby  with  a  large  body  of  Kentucky  militia, 
received  intelligence  of  this  victory,  he  hastened  to  the 
lake,  and  was  conveyed  by  the  vessels  to  Maiden.  The 
British  commander,  anticipating  this  movement,  had 
abandoned  that  place,  which,  on  the  28th  of  Septem- 
ber, was  occupied,  without  opposition,  by  the  American 
army. 

The  enemy,  passing  Detroit  in  their  retreat,  ascended 
the  river  Thames,  to  the  Moravian  villages.  They  were 
pursued  by  general  Harrison,  and  on  the  6th  of  October, 
brought  to  action.  His  force  being  greatly  superior,  a 
complete  victory  was  easily  and  speedily  gained.  Six 
hundred,  nearly  the  whole  of  the  party,  were  made  pri- 
soners ;  Tecumseh,  the  celebrated  Indian  chief  was  killed  ; 
and  all  the  posts  that  had  been  surrendered  by  general 
Hull  were  recovered  from  the  enemy. 

Leaving  general  Cass  in  command  at  Detroit,  general 
Harrison,  with  part  of  the  regular  force,  again  embarked, 
on  board  the  vessels,  and,  on  the  24th,  arrived  at  Buffalo, 
in  New- York,  intending  to  join  the  American  army  on  the 
Niagara  frontier.  But  a  sufficient  number  of  general  ofB- 
cers  having  been  assigned  to  that  army,  he  received  per- 
mission to  return  to  his  family. 

Previous  to  the  events  just  related,  general  Dearborn, 
in  consequence  of  severe  indisposition,  was  withdrawn  from 
active  service,  and  general  Wilkinson  appointed  to  command 
the  army  of  the  centre,  which  comprised  about  7000 
men.  Having  received  orders,  from  the  secretary  of 
war,  to  descend  the  St.  Lawrence  and  attack  Montreal,  he 
directed  the  scattered  detachments  to  assemble  <it .Grena- 
dier-Island, on  lake  Ontario.  Such  were  the  difficulties 
attending  the  concentration  of  the  troops,  and  such  perhaps 
the  want  of  vigor  in  the  commander,  that  the  flotilla,  upon 
which  they  embarked,  did  not  get  under  way  until  th^  5th 
of  November. 

Their  progress  was  impeded  by  parties  which  the  ene- 
my, at  every  convenient  position,  had  stationed  on  the 
Canada  shore.  To  disperse  these,  a  body  of  troops,  under 
the  command  of  general  Brown^  was  landed,  and  directed 


mi 

(11 

lel 

S( 

ml 
H 
tel 
p< 

C( 


:JiL 


1813. 


MADISON  S    ADMINISTAATIOX. 


299 


Six 


to  march  in  advance  of  the  bouts.  At  Chrystler's  fields,  on 
the  11  th  of  November,  a  body  of  the  enemy,  of  equal  force, 
was  encountered.  In  the  battle  which  ensued,  both  fought 
with  resolute  bravery,  and  both  claimed  the  victory.  The 
loss  of  the  Americans  was  greatei>t,  but  they  drove  the 
enemy  from  their  position,  and  enabled  the  flotilla  to  pass 
unmolested. 

The  next  day  it  arrived  at  St.  Regis.  At  this  place,  ge- 
neral Hampton,  who  commanded  the  troops  at  Plattsburg, 
had  been  ordered  to  meet  the  main  army,  and  no  doubt  had 
been  entertained  of  his  disposition  and  ability  to  comply 
with  the  order.  But  here  general  Wilkinson,  to  his  sur- 
prise andmoitiflcalion,  was  informed  that  the  contemplated 
junction  would  not  take  place.  The  project  of  attacking 
Montreal  was  abandoned,  and  the  army  under  Wilkin- 
son, marching  to  French  Mills,  there  encamped  for  the 
winter. 

This  abortive  issue  of  the  campaign  occasioned  mur- 
murs throughout  the  nation.  The  causes  which  led  to  it 
have  never  been  fully  developed.  The  severest  censure 
fell  upon  general  Armstrong,  who  was  secretary  of  war, 
and  upon  general  Hampton.  The  latter  soon  after  resign- 
rul  his  commission  in  the  army,  and  general  Izard  was  se- 
.  Iccted  to  command  the  post  at  Plattsburg. 

In  the  progress  of  our  narrative,  some  events  have  been 
passed  over,  which  will  now  be  related.  In  the  early  part 
of  this  year,  the  emperor  of  Russia  offered  his  mediation 
to  the  two  powers  at  war.  On  the  part  of  the  United  Stales 
.  the  offer  was  promptly  accepted,  and  Messrs.  Adams,  Gal- 
latin, and  Bayard  were  appointed  commissioners  to  nego- 
tiate, at  St.  Petersburg,  a  peace  under  the  proffered  me- 
diation. 

On  the  24th  of  May,  congress  was  convened  by  procla- 
mation of  the  president.  I^aws  were  enacted  imposing  a 
direct  tax  of  three  millions  of  dollars  ;  authorizing  the  col- 
lection of  various  internal  duties  ;  providing  for  a  loan  of 
seven  and  a  half  million  of  dollars  ;  and  prohibiting  the 
merchant  vessels  of  the  United  States  from  sailing  under 
British  licenses.  Near  the  close  of  the  session,  a  commit- 
tee, appointed  to  inquire  into  the  subject,  made  a  long  re- 
port upon  the  spirit  and  manner  in  which  the  war  had  been 
conducted  by  the  enemy.     Mwny  proofs  were  presented 


Vm  '. 


300 


MADlSON^S   ADMINISTRATI017. 


1813. 


of  shameful  departures  from  the  rules  of  warfare  observed 
by  civilized  nations. 

In  September,  commodore  Chauncey  made  two  cruises 
upon  lake  Ontario,  and  repeatedly  offered  battle  to  the 
enemy's  squadron,  which  was  superior  in  force ;  but  sir 
James  Yeo,  the  British  commander,  intimidated  by  the  re- 
sult of  the  battle  on  lake  Erie,  retired  before  him.  On 
one  occasion,  however,  in  a  running  fight,  his  ships  sustain- 
ed considerable  injury. 

In  the  same  month,  captain  Rogers,  who  commanded  the 
frigate  President,  returned  from  a  long  cruise,  having  cap* 
tured  eleven  merchantmen  ;  but  he  met  no  armed  vessels, 
the  capture  of  which  could  enhance  his  reputation.  Cap- 
tain Porter,  in  the  Essex,  rode  triumphant  in  the  Pacific 
ocean,  annoying  the  trade  of  the  enemy  and  protecting  that 
of  the  republic. 

The  Indians  at  the  southern  extremity  of  the  union  had 
imbibed  the  same  hostile  spirit  as  those  at  the  northwestern. 
They  had  been  visited  by|Tecum8eh,  and  by  his  eloquence, 
persuaded,  that  the  great  Spirit  required  them  to  unite  and 
attempt  the  extirpation  of  the  whites.  In  the  fall  of  1812, 
a  cruel  war  was  carried  on,  by  the  Creeks  and  Seminoles, 
against  the  frontier  inhabitants  of  Georgia.  General  Jack- 
son, at  the  head  of  2600  volunteers  from  Tennessee,  march- 
ed into  the  country  of  the  Indians.  They,  overawed  by 
his  presence,  desisted  for  a  time  from  hostility  ;  but,  after 
his  return,  their  animosity  burst  forth  with  increased  and 
fatal  violence. 

Dreading  their  cruelty,  about  three  hundred  men,  wo- 
men, and  children,  sought  safety^in  fort  Mimms,  in  the  Ten- 
saw  settlement.  Although  frequent  warnings  of  an  intend- 
ed attack  had  been  given  them,  yet,  at  noon  dav,  on  the 
30th  of  August,  they  were  surprised  by  a  party  of  six  hun- 
dred Indians,  who  with  axes  cut  their  way  into  the  fort, 
and  drove  the  people  into  the  houses  which  it  enclosed. 
To  these  they  set  fire.  Many  persons  were  burned,  and 
many  killed  by  the  tomahawk.  Only  seventeen  escaped 
to  carry  the  horrid  tidings  to  the  neighboring  stations. 

The  whites  resolved  on  vengeance.  Again  general  Jack- 
son, at  the  head  of  3500  militia  of  Tennessee,  marched  into 
the  southern  wilderness.  A  detachment  under  general 
Coffee,  encountering,  at  Tallushatchie,  a  body  of  Indians,  a 


15. 

ved 

ises 

the 

sir 

re- 

On 

tain- 


1013. 


MAniSON'S    ADMINISTRATION. 


SO! 


sanguinary  conflict  ensued.  The  latter  fought  with  despe- 
ration, neither  giving  nor  receiving  quarter,  until  nearly 
every  warrior  had  perisheJ. 

At  THlladega,  another  battle  was  fought,  in  which  three 
hundred  Indians  perished.  The  roit  of  the  party,  exceed* 
ing  seven  hundred,  fled.  Cloneral  Jackson^s  provisions 
being  exhausted,  he  was  (r)able  to  pursue  them.  While  on 
his  return  to  the  settlements,  to  obtain  a  supply,  his  troops 
became  refractory  and  even  mutinous.  Nearly  aU  return^ 
cd  to  their  homes  ;  but  to  the  small  number  that  remained 
were  soon  added  a  reinforcement  of  one  thousand  mounted 
volunteers. 

At  the  head  of  this  force,  he  marched  to  Emuckfaw, 
within  a  bend  of  the  Tallapoosa,  where  a  body  of  the  ene> 
my  were  posted.  To  several  skirmishes  succeeded  a  ge- 
neral battle,  in  which  the  whites  were  victorious,  but  sus- 
tained considerable  loss.  For  the  relief  of  the  wounded, 
.lackson  returned  to  fort  Strother,  where  the  volunteers 
were  discharged.  General  White  from  East  Tennessee, 
and  general  Floyd  from  Georgia,  led  separate  expeditions 
against  the  Indians,  and  were  victorious  in  every  combat. 
.So  enraged  we^e  the  savages,  that  but  few  would  accept 
of  quarter  or  seek  safety  in  retreat. 

y^et  still  Was  the  spirit  of  the  Creeks  unsubdued,  and 
their  faith  in  victory  unshaken.  With  no  little  sagacity 
and  skill,  they  selected  and  fortiflid  another  position  on 
the  Tallapoosa,  called  by  themselves  Tohopeka,  and  by 
the  whites,  Horse-shoe  Bend.  Here  nearly  a  thousand 
warriors,  animated  with  a  iierce  and  determined  resolu- 
tion, were  collected.  Three  thousand  men,  commanded 
by  general  Jackson,  marched  to  attack  this  post.  To 
prevent  escape,  a  detachment,  under  general  Coflee,  en- 
circled  the  13end.  The  main  body,  keeping  within  it, 
advanced  to  the  fortress.  For  a  few  minutes,  the  oppos- 
ing forces  were  engaged,  muzzle  to  muzzle,  at  the  port 
holes.  Soon  the  troops,  leaping  over  the  walls,  mingled 
with  the  savages.  The  combat  was  furious  and  sanguina- 
ry. The  Indians,  fleeing  at  length  to  the  river,  beheld 
the  troops  on  the  opposite  bank.  Returning,  they  fought 
with  increased  fury  and  desperation,  and  continued  to 
resist  until  night.  Six  hundred  warriors  were  killed ; 
ibur  only  yielded  themselves  prisoners;  the  remainiog 

26 


302 


MADISON  S   ADMINISTRATIO!^. 


18}; 


I  jf- 


three  hundred  escaped.     Of  the  whites,  fifty-five «were 
killed,  and  one  hundred  and  forty-six  wounded. 

It  was  expected  that  another  stand  would  be  made  by 
the  Indians,  at  a  place  call  the  Hickory-ground.  General 
Jackson  marched  thither  in  April.  The  principal  chiefs 
came  out  to  meet  him,  and  among  them  was  Wetherford, 
a  half  blood,  distinguished  equally  for  his  talents  and  cru- 
elty. *'  I  am  in  your  power,"  said  he,  "  do  with  me  what 
you  please.  I  have  done  the  white  people  all  the  harm 
1  could.  I  have  fought  them,  and  fought  them  bravely. 
There  was  a  time  when  I  had  a  choice ;  I  have  none  now, 
even  hope  is  ended.  Once  I  could  animate  my  warriors  -, 
but  I  cannot  animate  the  dead.  They  can  no  longer  hear 
my  voice ;  their  bones  are  at  Tallushatchie,  Talladega, 
Emuckfaw,  and  Tohopeka.  While  there  was  a  chance 
cf  success,  I  never  supplicated  peace ;  but  my  people 
are  gone,  and  I  knoiv  ask  it  for  my  nation  and  myself.'' 
Peace  was  concluded,  and  the  brave  general  Jackson  and 
his  troops  enjoyed  an  honorable  but  short  repose. 


'p 


B- 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
CAMPAIGN  OF  1814. 

CONCLUSION    OP    THE    WAR. 


\s  the  winter  of  1813-14,  the  fifteenth  congress  held  a 
riecond  session.  To  increase  the  number,  and  add  to  the 
efficiency  of  the  army,  several  laws  were  passed,  by  one 
of  which  the  enormous  bounty  of  one  hundred  and  twenty* 
four  dollars  was  offered  to  recruits.  The  president  was 
authorized  to  borrow  twenty-five  millions  of  dollars,  and  to 
issue  treasury  notes  to  the  amount  of  five  millions. 

Before  the  termination  of  the  session,  a  communication 
was  received  from  the  British  government,  declining  to 
treat  under  the  mediation  of  Russia,  and  proposing  a  direct 
negotiation  at  London  or  Gottenburgh.  The  proposition 
was  accepted  by  the  American  government,  who  chose 
Gottenburgh  as  the  place  of  meeting,  for  which  Ghent  was 
afterwards  substituted  ;  and  Henry  Clay  and  Jonathan  Rus- 
sell, were  joined  with  the  commissioners  already  in  Eu- 
rope. Mr.  Clay,  in  consequence,  relinquished  the  station 
of  speaker  of  the  house  of  representatives,  and  was  sue* 
ceeded  by  Langdon  Cheves,  of  South-Carolina. 

Early  in  the  spring  the  American  army  marched  from 
French-Mills,  a  part  of  the  troops,  under  the  command  of 
general  Wilkinson,  proceeding  to  Plattsburgh,  and  the  re- 
mainder, under  general  Brown,  returning  to  Sackett's  Har- 
bor. Near  the  last  of  March,  general  Wilkinson  penetrat- 
ed into  Canada,  and  attacked  a  body  of  the  enemy,  occupy- 
ing a  large  stone  mill,  on  the  river  La  Cole.  He  was  re- 
pulised  with  considerable  loss.  This  defeat  detracted  from 
his  already  diminished  reputation.  He  was  removed  from 
command,  and  general  Izard  appointed  to  succeed  him. 

For  three  months,  the  armies  of  both  nations  continued 
hiikciive.  Meanwhile  information  was  received  of  the  stu- 


304 


MADISON  S  ADMINISTRATION. 


1814, 


»*■ 


pendous  events  which  had  recently  occurred  in  Europe. 
The  emperor  of  France  having  been  arrested  in  his  victo- 
rious career,  and  sustained  defeat  after  defeat,  was  compell- 
ed to  abdicate  his  throne,  and  retire  to  the  island  of  Elba. 
Louis  the  eighteeth  was  proclaimed  king ;  and  Great  Bri- 
tain, at  peace  with  all  the  world  but  the  United  States,  was 
enabled  to  direct  against  them  alone  the  immense  force 
which  had  been  employed  to  crush  her  rival.  She  de- 
layed  not  to  use  the  advantages  afforded  by  her  good  for- 
tune. From  the  ports  of  conquered  France,  ships  of  war 
and  transports  bearing  veteran  and  victorious  troops,  sailed 
to  the  American  continent,  some  destined  to  the  Niagara 
frontier,  and  some  to  the  Atlantic  coast. 

These  events  could  not  be  viewed  with  indifference  by 
the  American  people.  The  friends  of  the  administration 
anticipated  a  severer  conflict,  and  prepared  for  greater  sa- 
crifices and  greater  sufferings.  Its  opposers,  where  dif- 
ficulties thickened  and  danger  pressed,  were  encouraged 
to  make  more  vigorous  efforts  to  wrest  the  reins  of  autho- 
rity  from  men  who,  they  asserted,  had  shown  themselves 
incompetent  to  hold  them.  These  efforts,  although  warm> 
1y  condemned  by  a  great  majority  of  the  people,  diminished 
in  no  slight  degree,  the  strength  of  the  republic. 

In  the  beginning  of  July,  general  Brown,  who  had  been 
assiduously  employed  in  disciplining  his  troops,  crossed 
the  Niagara  with  about  3000  men,  and  took  possession, 
without  opposition,  of  fort  Erie.  In  a  strong  position,  at 
Chippewa,  a  few  miles  distant,  was  intrenched  an  equal 
number  of  British  troops  commanded  by  general  Rial!. — 
On  the  4th,  general  Bro\^n  approached  their  works.  The 
next  day,  the  two  armies  met  in  the  open  field.  The  con- 
flict was  obstinate  and  bloody.  The  Americans  were  vic- 
torious ;  and  the  enemy,  having  sustained  the  loss  of  five 
hundred  men,  sought  safety  behind  their  intrenchments. 

This  decisive  victory,  achieved  after  so  many  reverses, 
was  hailed  as  an  omen  of  future  success.  Soon  after- 
wards,  general  Riall,  abandoning  his  works,  retired  to  the 
heights  of  Burlington.  Here  lieutenant-general  Drummond, 
with  a  large  reinforcement,  joined  him,  and  assuming  the 
command,  led  back  the  army  towards  the  American  camp. 
On  the  S:6th,  was  fought  the  battle  of  Bridgewater,  whici 
began  before  sunset  and  continued  until  midnights 


.<» 


18U. 


NADISON^S    ADMINISTRATION. 


305 


This  battle  was  fought  near  the  cataract  of  Niagara, 
whose  roar  was  silenced  by  the  thunder  of  cannon  and  the 
din  of  arms,  but  was  distinctly  heard  during  the  pauses  of  -} 
the  fight.  At  intervals  the  moon  shone  brightly,  but  often 
her  light  was  obscured.  Against  a  superior  force,  the  Ame- 
ricans, for  several  hours,  contended  with  various  success. 
During  the  first  part  of  the  engagement,  they  were  sorely 
annoyed,  into  whatever  part  of  the  field  they  might  drive 
the  enemy  or  be  driven,  by  the  British  artillery,  sta< 
tioned  on  a  commanding  eminence.  <*  Can  you  storm 
that  battery  ?'*  said  general  Ripley  to  colonel  Miller.  "  I'll 
try,  sir,"  was  the  laconic  answer.  At  the  word  of  command  - 
his  men,  with  steady  courage,  ascended  the  hill,  advanced 
to  the  muzzles  of  the  cannon,  killed  with  the  bayonet  seve- 
ral artillery-men,  on  the  point  of  firing  their  pieces,  and 
drove  the  remainder  before  them. 

Both  parties  were  instantly  reinforced,  and  the  enemy 
made  a  daring  effort  to  regain  their  cannon.  They  were 
repulsed,  but  quickly  repeated  the  attempt.  Nearly  all 
the  opposing  forces  gathered  around  this  position,  and  to 
possess  it  was  the  sole  object  of  both  armies.  Again  the 
enemy  were  repulsed ;  but  again  they  renewed  the  eflbrt. 
After  a  violent  conflict,  they  were  a  third  time  driven  from 
the  hill.  The  firing  then  ceased  ;  the  British  troops  wers 
withdrawn  ;  and  the  Americans  were  left  in  quiet  posses- 
sion of  the  field. 

Generals  Brown  and  Scott  having  both  been  severely 
wounded,  the  command  devolved  upon  general  Ripley. 
He  remained  a  few  hours  upon  the  hill,  collected  the 
wounded,  and  then  returned  unmolested  to  the  camp.  The 
number  of  the  killed  and  wounded  proves  the  bravery  of 
the  combatants,  and  the  severity  of  the  conflict.  On  the 
American  side  it  was  743 ;  on  the  British,  one  hundred 
less  ;  and  of  the  latter  117  more  were  missing  than  of  the 
former.  The  British,  therefore,  besides  losing  their  posi- 
tion, sustained  the  greater  loss  of  men. 

General  Ripley  found  his  force  so  much  weakened,  that 
he  deemed  it  prudent  again  to  occupy  fort  Erie.  On  the 
4th  of  August,  it  was  invested  by  general  Drummond  with 
5000  troops.  In  defending  it,  no  less  bravery  and  skill 
were  requisite,  and  no  less  were  displayed,  than  in  contend- 
ing in  the  field.     In  the  night  between  the  14th  and  15th, 

26* 


'#9- 


306 


Madison's  administration. 


1814. 


the  besiegers  made  a  daring  assault  upon  the  fort,  which 
was  repelled  with  conspicuous  gallantry  by  the  garrison, 
the  former  losing  more  than  nine  hundred  men,  the  latter 
but  eighty-four. 

The  siege  was  still  continued.  On  the  2d  of  September, 
general  Brown,  having  recovered  from  his  wounds,  threw 
himself  into  the  fort  and  took  command  of  the  garrison. 
For  their  fate,  great  anxiety  was  felt  by  the  nation,  which 
was,  however,  in  some  degree,  removed  by  the  march  from 
Plattsburgh  of  5000  men  to  their  relief.  On  the  17th,  a 
sortie  was  made  by  the  besieged,  general  Porter  of  the 
New- York  militia,  and  general  Miller  of  the  regular  army, 
commanding  divisions.  The  braveryof  the  troops  equal- 
led that  which  they  had  displayed  in  the  recent  contests. 
Aflter  an  hour  of  close  fighting,  they  returned  to  the  fort, 
having  killed,  wounded,  and  taken  one  thousand  of  the 
enemy.  Their  loss  was  severe,  amounting  to  more  than 
iive  hundred. 

On  the  21st  of  September,  the  forty-ninth  day  of  the 
siege,  general  Drummond  withdrew  his  forces,  relieving 
the  garrison  from  their  toil  which  had  been  incessant,  and 
from  their  danger,  which  had  been  encountered  without 
fear.  Seldom  have  troops  deserved  higher  praise  of  their 
country.  On  the  9th  of  October,  general  Izard  arrived 
with  the  reinforcement  from  Plattsburgh,  and  being  senior 
officer,  took  the  command.  On  the  1 8th,  he  marched,  with 
his  whole  force,  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy,  whom  he  found 
at  Chippewa,  strongly  posted  in  a  fortified  camp.  After 
making  several  unsuccessful  attempts  to  entice  them  into 
the  field,  he  evacuated  Canada,  and  placed  his  troops  in 
winter  quarters  at  Buffalo,  Blnckrock,and  Batavia. 

The  march  of  the  troops  from  Plattsburgh  having  left 
that  post  almost  defenceless,  the  enemy  determined  to  at- 
tack it  by  land,  and,  at  the  same  time,  to  attempt  the  de- 
struction of  the  American  flotilla  on  lake  Champlain.  On  the 
3d  of  September,  sir  George  Prevost,  the  governor-gene- 
ral of  Canada,  with  an  army  of  14,000  men,  most  of  whoui 
had  served  in  the  wars  of  Europe,  entered  the  territories 
of  the  United  States.  As  soon  as  his  object  was  ascertain- 
ed, brigadier-general  Macomb,  the  commander  at  Platts- 
burgh, called  to  his  aid  the  militia  of  New- York  and  Ver- 
mont, who,  with  alacrity  and  without  distinction  of  party, 
obeyed  the  call. 


4, 


1814. 


MADISON  S  ADMINISTRATION. 


307 


lev 


On  the  6th  the  enemy  arrived  at  Plattsburgh,  which  is 
situated  near  lake  Champlain,  on  the  northerly  bank  of  the 
small  river  Saranac.  On  their  approach,  the  American 
troops,  who  were  posted  on  the  opposite  bank,  tore  up  the 
planks  of  the  bridges,  with  which  they  formed  slight 
breastworks,  and  prepared  to  dispute  the  passage  of  the 
stream.  Several  attempts  to  cross  it  were  made  by  the 
enemy,  but  they  were  uniformly  defeated.  From  this  time, 
until  the  1 1th,  the  British  army  were  employed  in  erect- 
ing batteries,  while  the  American  forces  were  every  hour 
augmented  by  the  arrival  of  volunteers  and  militia. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  that  day,  the  British  squadron, 
commanded  by  commodore  Downie,  appeared  off  the  har- 
bor of  Plattsburgh,  where  that  of  the  United  States,  com- 
manded by  commodore  McDonough,  lay  at  anchor  prepar- 
ed for  battle.  The  former  carried  ninety-five  guns,  and 
was  manned  with  upwards  of  1000  men,  the  latter  carried 
eighty-six  guns,  and  was  manned  with  820  men. 

At  nine  o'clock  the  battle  commenced.  Seldom  has  the 
ocean  witnessed  a  more  furious  encounter  than  now  took 
place  on  the  bosom  of  this  transparent  and  peaceful  lake. 
At  the  same  moment,  the  enemy  on  land  began  a  heavy 
cannonade  upon  the  American  lines,  and  attempted,  at 
different  places,  to  cross  the  Saranac.  At  a  ford  above  the 
village  the  strife  was  hot  and  deadly.  As  often  as  the 
enemy  advanced  into  the  water,  they  received  a  destruc- 
tive fire  from  the  militia,  and  their  dead  bodies  floated 
down  the  stream  literally  crimsoned  with  blood. 

At  half  past  eleven,  the  shout  of  victory  heard  along  the 
American  lines,  announced  the  result  of  the  battle  on  the 
lake.  A  second  British  squadron  had  yielded  to  the  prow- 
ess of  American  seamen.  The  cry  animated  to  braver 
deeds  their  brethern  on  the  land.  Fainter  became  the  ef- 
forts of  the  enemy.  In  the  afternoon,  they  withdrew  to 
their  intrenchments.  In  the  night,  they  began  a  precipi- 
tate retreat,  and  had  fled  eight  miles  before  their  depar- 
ture was  known  in  the  American  camp. 

Upon  the  lake,  the  American  loss  was  110;  the  British 
194,  besides  prisoners.  On  land,  the  American  loss  was 
119;  that  of  the  British  was  estimated  at  2500.  In  the 
latter  number,  however,  were  included  more  than  five 
hundred  British  soldiers,  who,  preferring  America  to  their 


308 


MADISON  S  ADMlN'tSTKATIOrr. 


1814. 


native  country,  deserted  from  the  retreating  army.  With 
these  splendid  victories  closed  the  campaign  on  the  north- 
ern frontier. 

On  the  ocean,  the  republican  flag  maintained  its  high 
reputation.  Victory  was  not  always  won  ;  but  defeat  never 
occurred  attended  with  dit^honor.  The  Essex,  command- 
ed by  captain  Porter,  after  a  bloody  combat  protracted 
longer  than  was  necessary  to  vindicate  his  fame,  struck  to 
a  British  frigate  and  sloop  of  war  whose  united  force  was 
much  superior.  The  American  sloop  Peacock  captured 
the  Epervier  of  equal  force.  The  sloop  Wasp,  command- 
ed by  captain  Blakely,  captured  the  Reindeer,  and  after- 
wards, in  the  same  cruise,  sunk  the  Avon,  each  of  superior 
force.  She  made  several  other  prizes  ;  but  never  return- 
ed into  port.  Darkness  rests  upon  her  fate.  She  proba- 
bly foundered  at  sea.  The  republic,  with  deep  and  sin- 
cere grief,  mourned  the  loss  of  her  gallant  crew. 

The  people  of  the  middle  and  southern  states,  anticipat- 
ing a  great  augmentation  of  the  enemy's  force,  and  uncer- 
tain where  the  blow  would  fall,  made  exertions  to  place 
every  exposed  position  in  a  posture  of  defence.  The  citi- 
zens of  New- York  displayed  extraordinary  activity  and 
zeal.  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore  were  supposed  to  be  in 
less  danger,  but  additions  were  made  to  their  fortifier V'>ns. 
For  the  protection  of  Washington,  a  military  district,  em- 
bracing Maryland,  Columbia,  and  a  part  of  Virginia,  was 
established,  and  the  command  of  it  given  to  general  Winder, 
of  Baltimore.  One  thousand  regular  troops  were  placed 
at  his  disposal,  and  he  was  authorized  to  call  to  his  aid 
15,000  militia. 

In  the  beginningof  August,  the  expected  reinforcements, 
consisting  of  many  vessels  of  war,  and  a  large  number  of 
troops,  arrived  in  the  Chesapeake  from  Europe.  Of  this 
force,  several  frigates  and  bomb  vessels  were  ordei'ed  to 
ascend  the  Potomac ;  another  division,  under  sir  Peter 
Parker  was  directed  to  threaten  Baltimore  ;  the  main  bo- 
dy ascended  the  Patuxent  as  far  as  Benedict,  where,  on  the 
19th  of  August,  five  thousand  men,  commanded  by  general 
Ross,  were  landed. 

In  the  mean  time,  general  W^inder  had  called  on  the  mi- 
litia to  repair  to  his  standard.  They  were  exceedingly  re- 
miss in  obeying  the  call.     On  the  22d,  not  more  than  two 


1814. 


MADISON  S   ADMINISTRATION. 


309 


thousand  had  assembled.     At  the  head  of  these,  and  of  one 
thousand  regulars,  he  took  a  position  not  far  from  the  ene- 1 
my,  intending  to  prevent  their  progress  into  the  country. 

A  particular  account  of  the  subsequent  events  will  not 
be  attempted.  General  Ross,  marching  through  a  scatter- 
ed population,  advanced  towards  Washington.  The  Ame- 
ricans retired  before  him.  A  stand  was  made  near  Bladens- 
burgh.  The  militia  fled  on  the  approach  of  danger  ;  but 
a  body  of  seamen  and  marines,  commanded  by  commodore 
Barney,  not  only  maintained  their  ground,  but  compelled 
the  enemy  to  give  way.  They  rallied,  however,  immediate- 
ly ;  outflanked  the  heroic  band,  put  it  to  flight,  and  has- 
tened forward.  -- 

The  retreating  forces  were  ordered  to  assemble  on  the 
heights  near  the  capitol ;  and  there  they  were  joined  by  a 
body  of  Virginia  militia.  But  general  Winder;  considering 
his  force  too  weak  to  oppose  effectual  resistance,  retreated 
to  the  heights  of  Georgetown.  Washington,  thus  left  de- 
fenceless, was  deserted  by  most  of  the  citizens. 

On  the  24th,  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  the  ene- 
my entered  the  city,  and  at  nine,  the  capitol,  president's 
house,  and  many  other  buildings,  were  set  on  fire.  Valua- 
ble libraries,  works  of  taste,  and  elegant  specimens  of  the 
fine  arts,  were  consigned  to  destruction.  On  the  evening  of 
the  next  day,  the  enemy  left  the  city,  and  returned  unmolest-^ 
ed  to  Benedict ;  where,  on  the  30th,  they  embarked  on 
board  the  transports.  I'heir  loss,  during  the  incursion, 
including  deserters,  and  such  as  died  froin  fatigue  on  the 
march,  exceeded  eight  hundred. 

The  capture  of  Washington  reflected  disgrace  upon 
those  by  whom  it  ought  to  have  been  defended.  The  de- 
struction of  the  national  edifices  attached  a  still  darker  stig- 
ma to  the  character  of  the  enemy.  The  whole  civilized 
world  exclaimed  against  the  act  as  a  violation  of  the  rules 
of  modern  warfare.  The  capitals  of  most  of  the  Europaan 
kingdoms  had  lately  been  in  the  power  of  an  enemy  ;  but 
in  no  instance  had  the  conqueror  been  guilty  of  similar 
conduct.  An  indignant  spirit  pervaded  the  republic.  The 
friends  of  the  government  were  not  only  increased  in  num- 
ber, but  felt  an  additional  motive  to  exert  all  their  faculties 
fo  overcome  the  enemy  of  their  country. 

The  squadron  which,  at  the  same  time^  ascended  the 


i'i; 


310 


MADISON  S  ADMINISTRATION. 


1814. 


Potomac,  met  with  even  less  resistance  than  that  which  as- 
cended the  Patuxent.  As  soon  as  it  arrived  at  Alexandria, 
the  citizens  proposed  a  capitulation ;  and  the  terms  were 
speedily  adjusted  with  the  British  commander.  To  pur- 
chase safety,  they  delivered  up  all  their  shipping;  all 
the  merchandize  in  the  city,  and  all  the  naval  and  ordnance 
stores  public  and  private.  With  a  fleet  of  prizes,  loaded 
with  a  rich  booty,  the  enemy  returned  immediately  to  the 
ocean. 

The  success  of  the  attack  on  Washington  encouraged 
general  Ross  to  undertake  an  expedition  against  Baltimore. 
On  the  l2th  of  September,  he  landed  6000  men  on  North 
Point,  about  fourteen  miles  from  the  city,  to  which  he  di- 
rected his  march.  Preparations  for  defence  had  already 
been  made.  The  whole  of  the  militia  had  been  called 
into  the  field;  the  aged  and  the  rich  had  voluntarily  en- 
tered the  ranks ;  and  assistance  had  been  obtained  from 
Pennsylvania  and  Virginia. 

General  Smith,  who  commanded  the  American  forces, 
detached  general  Strieker,  with  three  thousand  men,  to 
retard  the  progress  of  the  enemy.  The  advanced  parties 
met  about  eight  miles  from  the  city.  In  the  skirmish 
which  ensued  general  Ross  wan  killed.  The  invaders, 
however,  under  the  command  of  colonel  Brooke,  continu- 
ed to  advance,  and  soon  met  and  attacked  the  detachment 
under  Strieker.  One  of  the  militia  regiments  gave  way. 
This  communicated  a  panic  to  the  others,  and  the  general 
fell  back  to  the  heights,  where,  behind  breastworks  hasti- 
ly erected,  the  main  body  of  the  Americans  awaited  an  at- 
tack. 

After  landing  the  troops  at  North  Point,  the  British 
fleet  had  sailed  up  the  Petapsco  and  bombarded  fort  Mc 
Henry  and  fort  Covington,  which  stand  at  the  entrance 
into  the  harbor.  The  former  was  commanded  by  major 
Armistead,  the  latter  by  lieutenant  Newcomb,  of  the  navy. 
Both  were  gallantly  defended,  the  fleet  was  repulsed,  and 
the  commander  of  the  troops  finding  that  the  naval  force 
could  afiford  no  farther  assistance,  retreated,  on  the  14th, 
to  North  Point,  and  the  next  day  re-embarked.  Soon  after, 
the  fleet  left  Chesapeake  bay,  and  part  proceeded  south'^ 
ward  to  convey  the  troops  to  the  theater  of  future  opera- 
tions and  of  unprecedented  slaughter. 


oil 


MADISON'S  ADMINISTRATION. 


1814. 


Neither  the  brilliant  victories  in  Canada,  on  the  lakes 
iind  on  the  ocean,  which  exalted  the  character  of  the  repub- 
lic, and  rendered  it  worthy  to  be  loved,  nor  the  disaster  at 
Washington,  which  proved  how  necessary  were  the  ser- 
vices of  every  citizen,  could  induce  the  opposition  to  g'*vo 
their  support  to  the  government  of  their  country,  'i 
most  zealous  recommended  that,  not  only  the  militia,  but 
the  revenue  should  be  withheld.  The  general  court  of 
Massachusetts  proposed  that  a  convention  of  delegates  from 
the  New-England  states  should  be  assembled  at  Hartford, 
to  devise  means  to  obtain  redress  of  their  grievances. 

To  this  proposition  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island  ac- 
ceded. In  December  the  convention  met,  consisting  of 
delegates  from  those  states,  appointed  by  their  legislatures ; 
of  two  from  New-Hampshire,  and  one  from  Vermont,  ap- 
pointed at  county  meetings.  Their  sittings  were  secret. 
Upon  their  adjournment,  they  published  an  address  to  the 
people,  in  which,  in  bold  and  forcible  language,  they  enu- 
merated the  measures  of  the  national  government,  sup- 
posed to  be  particularly  detrimental  to  the  interests  of 
N^ew-England,  and  of  the  commercial  class  of  the  nation, 
and  proposed  such  amendments  to  the  constitution  ats 
would  prevent,  in  future,  the  adoption  of  similar  measures. 

In  the  fall,  information  was  received  that  the  American 
and  British  commissioners  had  met  and  held  conferences 
at  Ghent.  Great  Britain,  rendered  arrogant  by  her  re- 
cent triumphs  in  Europe,  by  the  capture  of  Washington, 
and  by  the  boldness  of  disaffection  in  New-England,  de- 
manded terms  which  extinguished  the  hope  of  a  speedy  re- 
conciliation. Congress  shrunk  not  from  the  duty  which 
the  crisis  imposed.  Although  the  expenditures  of  the 
nation  greatly  exceeded  the  income  ;  although  its  finances 
were  in  disorder,  and  its  credit  was  impaired,  yet  the 
national  legislature,  with  undaunted  firmness,  entered  upon 
the  task  of  furnishing  the  means  to  prosecute  the  war  with 
increased  vigor.  The  taxes  were  augmented,  and  new  loans 
were  authorized.  The  duties  of  secretary  of  war,  from 
which  post  general  Armstrong  was  removed,  were  assigned 
to  Mr.  Monroe  ;  and  those  of  secretary  of  the  treasury  to 
Mr.  Dallas. 

The  repose  of  general  Jackson,  and  of  the  troops  whom 
he  commanded,  was  interrupted  by  the  arrival  at  Pensa- 


f 


312 


MADISON  S  A!)Mi:aSTRAT10N. 


1811. 


cola,  in  An|B;uflt,  of  three  British  ships  of  war,  bringing 
three  bundled  iioldiers,  and  <i.rms  and  ammunition  to  be 
distributed  iiinong  the  Indians  of  Florida.  The  troops 
were  permitted,  by  the  Spaniards,  to  take  possession  of  the 
fort,  and  the  commander  issued  a  proclamation,  indicating 
an  intention  of  carrying  on  war  against  the  adjacent  parts 
of  the  republic. 

General  Jackson,  with  characteristic  promptness,  took 
instant  and  efficient  measures  for  calling  to  his  aid  the  pa- 
triotic tnilitia  who  and  before  been  victorious  under  his 
banners.  And  having  remonstrated  in  vain  with  the  go- 
vernor of  Pensacola,  for  affording  shelter  and  protection 
to  thfj  enemies  of  the  United  States,  he,  near  the  end  of 
October,  at  the  head  of  a  body  of  regulars  and  two  thou- 
sand mounted  volunteers,  marched  against  that  place.  A 
flag,  sent  to  demand  redress,  was  fired  on  from  the  bat- 
teries. He  immediately  marched  into  the  city.  Stormed 
the  fort,  obtained  entire  possession,  and  compelled  the 
British  to  evacuate  Florida. 

Returning  to  his  head-quarters  at  Mobile,  he  there  re- 
ceived intelligence  that  a  powerful  expedition  was  on  the 
way  to  attack  New-Orleans.  Without  delay,  he  repaired, 
with  his  troops,  to  that  city.  He  found  it  in  a  state  of  con  • 
fusion  and  alarm.  The  militia,  composed  of  men  of  all 
nations,  was  imperfectly  organized.  Many,  feeling  no 
attachment  to  the  republic,  had  refused  to  enter  the 
ranks.  No  fortifications  existed  on  the  vr.rious  routes  by 
which  the  place  could  be  approached  ;  and  fears  were  en- 
tertained that  the  reinforcements  of  militia,  which  were 
expected  from  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  could  not  arrive 
in  time  to  take  part  in  the  contest. 

Undismayed  by  the  difficulties  which  surrounded  him, 
general  Jackson  adopted  the  most  decided  and  efficient 
means  for  the  safety  of  this  rich  and  important  city.  He 
visited  in  person  every  exposed  point,  and  designated  the 
positions  to  be  fortified.  He  mingled  with  the  citizens  and 
infused  into  the  greater  part  his  own  spirit  and  energy. 
By  his  presence  and  exhortations,  they  were  animated  to 
exertions  of  which  before  they  were  not  supposed  to  be 
capable.  All  who  could  wield  a  spade,  or  carry  a  musket, 
were  put  to  work  upon  the  fortifications,  or  trained  in  the 
art  of  defending  them. 


■'*■•** 


\l 


i814. 


Madison's  administration. 


Hi 


The  Missiflipjpi,  upon  the  east  bank  of  wlilch  Sas  Or- 
leans stands,  flows  to  the  ocean  in  several  chat  fU 
One,  leaving  the  main  stream  above  the  city,  run^  t  ot 
it  and  forms,  in  its  course,  lake  Ponchartrain  anu  idke 
Borgne.  Early  in  December,  the  enemy  entered  this 
channel.  Their  whole  force  amounted  to  about  8000 
men,  a  part  of  whom  had  just  left  the  shores  of  the 
Chesapeake',  and  the  remainder  had  arrived  directly  from 
Kngland.  A  small  squadron  of  gunboats  under  lieutenant 
Jones,  was  despatched  to  oppose  their  passage  into  the 
lake.  These  were  met  by  a  superior  force,  and  after  a 
spirited  conflict,  in  which  the  killed  and  wounded  of  the 
•enemy  exceeded  the  whole  number  of  the  Americans, 
they  were  compelled  to  surrender. 

This  disaster  required  the  adoption,  in  the  city,  of  more 
vigorous  measures.  Disaffection  growing  bolder,  martial 
Iaw  was  proclaimed  ;  the  authority  of  the  civil  magistrate 
was  suspended ;  and  arbitrary  power  was  assumed  and  ex- 
ercised by  the  commander*in-chief.  May  no  emergency 
hereafter  occur  in  which  a  military  officer  shall  consider 
himself  authorized  to  cite  as  a  precedent  this  violation  of 
the  constitution. 

On  the  21st  of  December,  four  thousand  militia  arrived 
from  Tennessee.  On  the  22d,the  enemy,  having  previously 
landed,  took  a  position  near  the  main  channel  of  the  river, 
about  eight  miles  below  the  city.  In  the  evening  of  the 
23d,  general  Jackson  made  a  sudden  and  furious  attack 
tipon  their  camp.  They  were  thrown  into  disorder;  but 
they  soon  rallied  and  fought  with  bravery  equal  to  that  of 
the  assailants.  Satisfied  with  the  advantage  first  gained, 
he  withdrew  his  troops,  fortified  a  strong  position  four 
miles  below  New-Orleans,  and  supported  it  by  batteries 
erected  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river. 

On  the  28th  of  December,  and  first  of  January,  vigor- 
ous, but  unsuccessful  attacks  were  made  upon  these  fortifi- 
cations by  the  enemy.  In  the  mean  time,  both  armies 
had  received  reinforcements ;  and  general  Packenham, 
the  British  commander,  resolved  to  exert  all  his  strength 
in  a  combined  attack  upon  the  American  positions  on  both 
sides  of  the  river.  With  almost  incredible  industry,  he 
caused  a  canal,  leading  from  a  creek  emptying  into  lake 
Borgne  to  the  main  channel  of  the  Missisippi,  to  be  dug> 

27 


.'^14 


.MAnrsON  »    AnWfNISTAATrOrlf, 


ICIJ, 


that  he  might  remove  a  part  of  his  boats  and  artilkry  to 
tlie  latter.  All  things  beiog  prepare  '  the  8th  of  January 
was  assigned  for  the  assault. 

In  the  night,  a  regiment  was  transported  across  the  rifer, 
to  storm  the  works  on  the  western  bank,  and  turn  the 
guns  on  the  American  troops  on  the  eastern.  Early  in  the 
morning,  the  main  body  of  the  enemy,  consisting  of  seven 
or  eight  thousand  men,  marched  from  their  camp  to  the 
assault.  While  approaching,  fearless  and  undaunted, 
showers  of  grape-shot  thinned  their  ranks.  When  they 
came  within  musket  shot  a  vivid  stream  of  fire  burst  from 
the  American  lines.  General  Jackson  having  placed  lii& 
troops  in  two  ranks,  those  in  the  rear  loaded  for  those  ira 
front,  enabling  them  to  lire  with  scarcely  a  moment's  in- 
termission. The  militia  of  the  west,  trained  from  infancy 
to  the  use  of  the  ritle,  seldom  took  unsteady  or  uncertain 
aim.  The  plain  was  soon  covered  with  dead  and  wound- 
ed. Some  i3ritish  regiments  faltered  and  fell  back  ;  bu«; 
others  advanced  and  presented  new  victims.  While  brave- 
ly leading  to  the  walls  the  regiment  which  bore  the  lad- 
ders, general  Packenham  was  killed.  In  attempting  to 
restore  order  and  to  rally  the  fugitives,  general  Gibbs,  the 
second  in  command,  was  wounded  mortally,  and  genera! 
Keene  severely.  Without  otlicers  to  direct  them,  tlip 
troops  first  halted,  then  fell  back,  and  soon  lied  in  disorder 
to  their  camp.  In  little  more  than  an  hour,  two  thousand 
of  the  enemy  were  laid  prostrate  upon  the  field  ;  while  ot 
the  Americans  but  seven  were  killed  and  six  wounded — a 
disproportion  of  loss  without  a  parallel  in  the  annals  of  war- 
fare. 

The  events  of  the  day  on  the  west  side  of  the  river 
present  a  striking  instance  of  the  uncertainty  of  warlike 
operations.  There  the  Americans  were  thrice  the  num- 
ber of  the  assailants,  and  were  protected  by  intrench- 
ments  ;  but  they  ingloriously  fled.  They  were  closely 
pursued,  until  the  British  party,  receiving  intelligence  oi 
the  defeat  of  the  main  army,  withdrew  from  pursuit  and 
recrossed  the  river.  They  then  returned  and  resumed 
possession  of  their  intrenchments. 

General  Lambert,  upon  whom  the  command  of  ihe 
British  army  had  devolved,  having  lost  all  hope  of  succesf  ^ 
prepared  to  return  to  his  shipping.     In  his  retreat  he  wiw 


ItJlt 


«.' 


MADISON'8  ADMINISTRATION*. 


31 


V 


not  molested  :  general  Jackson  wisely  resolving  to  liazaid 
nothing  that  he  had  gained,  in  attempting  to  gain  itill 
more. 

In  the  midst  of  the  rejoicings  for  this  signal  victory,  n 
special  messenger  arrived  from  Europe,  with  a  treaty  of 
peace,  which,  in  December,  had  been  concluded  at  Ghent. 
The  British  government  had  receded  from  all  their  de- 
mands; and  as  the  orders  in  council  had  been  repealed, 
and  all  motive  T  r  the  impressment  of  seamen  had  ceased 
with  the  war  in  Europe,  no  stipulation,  in  relation  to  these 
subjects,  was  inserted  in  the  treaty,  which  provided  mere- 
ly for  the  restoration  of  peace  and  the  revision  of  boun- 
daries. The  treaty  was  immediately  ratified  by  the  pre- 
sident and  senate. 

The  war,  however,  did  not  cease  on  the  ocean,  until 
two  additional  victories  had  imparted  a  brighter  luster  to 
the  republican  flag.  In  February,  the  Constitution,  then 
cruising  under  the  command  of  captain  Stewart,  captured 
the  Cyane  and  Levant,  whose  forces  united  were  supe- 
rior to  hers ;  and  in  March,  the  sloop  Hornet  captured 
the  brig  Penguin,  stronger  in  guns  and  men  than  the  vic- 
lor. 


.SB-.*"  ■ 


APPENDIX. 


The  English  colonies  of  North  America  were  settled 
ijnder  the  most  favorable  auspices.  Tlie  mind  of  man 
had  just  burst  from  thraldom,  and  begun  to  delight  in 
the  free  and  vigorous  exercise  of  its  powers.  Religion 
and  government  had  become  themes  of  animated  discus- 
sion. The  people  had  boldly  questioned  the  divine  right 
of  their  rulers  to  controll  their  actions,  and  of  their  priests 
to  prescribe  to  them  articles  of  faith.  They  had  assumed 
a  higher  rank  and  bolder  attitude  ;  and,  conscious  of  their 
own  power,  had  begun  to  feel  less  dependence  upon 
others. 

From  that  country,  where  the  advancement  of  know- 
ledge had  been  greatest,  came  those  who  peopled  this 
western  wilderness.  They  belonged  principally  to  a 
class,  so  high  as  to  have  participated  largely  in  the  ad- 
vantages which  knowledge  imparts,  and  yet  not  so  high  as 
to  be  above  the  power  of  the  oppressor.  The  persecu- 
tions they  had  endured  rendered  the  principles  of  civil 
and  religious  liberty  more  dear  to  their  hearts  ;  and  led 
to  inquiries  and  reflections,  which  fixed  a  conviction  of 
their  truth  more  firmly  in  their  understandings. 

No  occasion  could  be  more  fortunate,  no  men  could  be 
better  fitted,  to  lay  the  foundation  of  a  superstructure  en- 
tirely new.  Their  knowledge  enabled  them  to  discern 
the  good  and  the  evil  of  the  political  institutions,  which 
had  existed  in  the  world  ;  and  their  feelings,  chastened  by 
their  sufferings,  or  elevated  by  their  favorable  view  of 
human  nature,  led  them  to  reject  those  provisions,  which 
sacrificed  the  happiness  of  many  to  the  splendor  of  a  few  ; 
and  to  adopt  such  only  as  gave  equal  rights  gnd  privileges 
^0  all. 

27* 


^: 


318 


APPENDIX. 


In  ever}'  nation  of  Europe,  ecclesiastical  establishments 
existed,  almost  co-ordinate  with  the  civil  authority.  The 
officers  of  these  establishments  were  numerous,  and  their 
privileges  extensive.  For  their  support,  in  early  times, 
a  tenth  part  of  the  income  of  the  laity  was  appropriated. 
Possessing  wealth,  and  rank,  and  learning,  their  influence 
was  great,  and  was  constantly  exerted  to  acquire  and  pre- 
serve dominion  over  the  minds  and  consciences  of  men. 
Their  success  was  equal  to  the  means  which  they  employ- 
ed. They  continued  to  add  to  their  wealth  and  power, 
until,  corrupted  by  luxury  and  idleness,  they  forgot  their 
duties  to  God  and  to  man  ;  and  encumbered  society  with  a 
useless  and  oppressive  weight. 

No  part  of  these  establishments  have  been  transferred 
to  America.  The  first  settlers  of  most  of  the  colonies 
were  too  proud  of  their  attainments,  in  spiritual  know- 
ledge, to  submit  to  dictation  in  matters  of  faith  ;  and  too 
independent  in  feeling  to  acknowledge  a  superior  on  earth. 
Here  man  resumed  his  natural  and  dignified  station ;  and 
the  ministers  of  the  gospel,  maintaining  an  apostolical  sim- 
plicity of  character  and  manners,  have  seldom  sought  to 
obtain,  and  possess  not  the  means  of  obtaining,  any  greater 
influence  than  that  which  superior  virtue  and  piety  con- 
fer. 

The  doctrine  of  hereditary  right  prevailed  also  through- 
out Europe.  By  the  fundamental  regulations  of  nearly 
every  kingdom,  the  monarch  and  nobles  transmitted  to 
their  eldest  sons,  even  though  destitute  of  talents  and  vir- 
tue, their  authority,  privileges,  and  rank.  The  people 
often  saw  on  the  throne  men,  who  were  guilty  of  the  most 
atrocious  wickedness,  and  whose  conduct  involved  com- 
munities and  nations  in  misery  ;  but  no  attempt  could  be 
made  to  remove  or  punish  them  without  incurring  the 
penalty  of  rebellion.  They  saw  also,  in  other  exalted 
stations,  men  equally  wicked  and  equally  beyond  their 
control]. 

The  law  of  primogeniture  existed  as  a  part  of  the  here- 
ditary system.  The  eldest  son  inherited,  not  the  title 
only,  but  also  all  the  lands  of  the  father.  By  this  unjust 
and  unnatural  law,  the  younger  sons  and  the  daughters 
were  doomed  to  comparative  poverty.  One  portion  of 
the  people  was  made  rich  and  another  poor.    Fe^i^  were 


APPENDIX. 


319 


placed  in  that  happy  medium  between  wealth  and  poverty., 
which  is  most  favorable  to  irtue,  to  happiness,  and  to  the 
improvement  of  the  human  faculties. 

The  principle,  that  power  could  be  inherited,  was  at 
once  rejected  by  the  tirst  emigrants  to  America.  They 
had  witnessed,  in  Europe,  the  pernicious  operation*' 'of 
this  principle  ;  they  were  convinced  of  its  absurdity  ;  and 
even  had  not  such  been  the  case,  that  equality  of  rank  and 
condition,  which  existed  among  them,  would  have  prevent- 
ed any  one  from  claiming  such  a  privilege  for  his  family, 
and  all  others  from  submitting  to  it. 

The  law  of  primogeniture  fell  of  course  into  disuse,  or 
was  abolished.  That  equality  of  rights  and  of  rank,  which 
prevailed  at  first,  has  continued  to  prevail  ;  and  though, 
in  some  of  the  colonies,  the  extravagant  grants  of  land, 
which  were  made  by  capricious  governors  to  their  favor- 
ites, introduced  great  inequality  of  fortune,  yet  the  saluta- 
ry operations  of  various  laws  is  continually  diminishing 
this  inequality,  dividing  and  distributing  among  many  that 
wealth,  which,  in  the  hands  of  a  few,  is  less  beneticial  to 
the  public,  and  productive  of  less  individual  enjoyment. 

The  systems  of  government  established  in  the  colonies 
were  also  departures  from  European  precedents,  and  were 
in  perfect  harmony  with  their  social  institutions.  Most  of 
the  provisions  of  the  early  charters  were  doubtless  sug- 
gested by  the  first  emigrants,  and  of  course  accorded  with 
their  liberal  political  principles.  The  kings,  who  granted 
them,  conceded  many  privileges  to  encourage  the  settle- 
ment of  colonies  in  America,  entertaining  no  suspicion  that 
their  successors  would  ever  have  occasion  to  regret  their 
concessions.  These  charters  made  but  little  distinction  in 
the  rights  and  privileges  of  the  colonists.  Every  man 
could  regard  those  around  him  as  his  equals.  The  state 
of  individual  dependence  being  hardly  known,  all  sense 
of  dependence  on  the  mother  country  was  gradually  lost ; 
and  the  transition  from  a  colonial  to  an  independent  condi- 
tion was  natural  and  unavoidable. 

In  nothing  is  the  contrast  between  the  two  systems  of 
government  greater  than  in  the  requisitions,  which  they 
make  of  the  people  for  their  support  and  defence.  That 
of  Great  Britain  may  be  taken  as  a  favorable  example  of 
the  European  governments.    The  people  of  that  kingdom 


320  APPEXDIX. 

pay  annually,  for  the  support  of  their  sovereign  and  his 
relatives,  nearly  two  and  half  millions  of  dollars,  while  the 
compensation  of  the  president  of  the  United  States  is  but 
twenty-five  thousand.  In  the  salaries  of  the  subordinate 
officers  of  government,  the  disproportion  is  not  so  great, 
but  is  generally,  nevertheless,  as  four  or  five  to  one. 

The  military  peace  establishment  of  Great  Britain  costs 
annually  thirty- four  millions  of  dollars  ;  that  of  the  United 
States  but  little  more  than  five  millions.  The  naval  esta- 
blishment of  the  former  costs  twenty-two  millions  j  that  of 
the  latter  less  than  two  and  a  half  millions.  British  sub- 
jects pay  in  taxes,  raised  exclusively  for  national  purposes, 
at  the  rate  of  fifteen  dollars  yearly  for  each  individual ;  the 
citizens  of  the  United  States  pay,  in  national  and  state 
taxes,  at  the  rate  of  but  two  dollars.  And  as  the  whole 
population  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  is  included  in  the 
estimate,  the  individual  wealth  of  the  subjects  of  the  united 
kingdom,  and  of  the  citizens  of  the  American  republic, 
may,  on  an  average,  be  considered  nearly  equal. 

With  burdens  thus  light,  not  embarrassed  by  too  much 
regulation,  nor  restricted  by  monopolies,  but  left  at  liberty 
to  pursue  their  own  interests,  as  individual  judgment  may 
dictate,  the  citizens  of  the  republic  have  boldly  embarked 
in  all  the  ordinary  pursuits  of  man  ;  and  in  all  have  met 
with  a  degree  of  success,  which  exhibits  a  favorable  and 
forcible  commentary  upon  their  free  institutions,  and 
proves  that  no  other  people  surpass  them  in  activity  or 
enterprise. 

In  the  pursuits  of  ACRicrLXURE,  by  far  the  greatest  por- 
tion of  the  inhabitants  are  engaged  ;  and  for  that  employ- 
ment the  country  is  most  favorably  situated.  It  embraces 
every  desirable  variety  of  climate.  The  soil  is  generally 
good  ;  in  many  parts  of  the  union,  it  is  exceedingly  fer- 
tile ;  and  it  produces,  or  may  be  made  to  produce,  al- 
most every  vegetable,  which  can  be  made  the  food  of  man, 
or  as  the  material  of  manufactures.  The  northern  states 
produce  Indian  corn,  rye,  wheat,  flax,  hemp,  oats,  pota- 
toes ;  and  their  pastures  feed  and  fatten  large  numbers  of 
eattle  and  sheep.  The  middle  and  western  states  pro- 
duce tobacco,  and  the  same  articles  as  the  northern,  but 
wheat  in  much  greater  abundance.    In  the  southern  states, 


AFFCNDIX. 


322 


cotton  is  principally  cultiTated,  but  considerable  quantities 
of  rice  and  sugar  are  produced. 

In  1820,  the  number  of  persons  engaged  in  agriculture 
Yvas  2,070,646.  The  value  of  all  its  products  exported 
during  the  year  ending  the  30th  of  September,  1 823,  was 
J37,646,000.  The  principal  articles  were,  cotton  to  the 
value  of  ^20,446,000  ;  tobacco  to  the  value  of  ^4,852,000 ; 
and  rice  to  the  value  of  ^1,821,000.  The  value  of  pro- 
visions of  all  kinds  exported  was  ^13,460,000,  and  it 
has,  in  many  years,  been  at  a  greater  average.  A  people 
able  to  spare  such  an  amount  of  the  necessaries  of  life 
can  never  be  in  danger  of  suffering'from  want. 

The  agricultural  class  is  conspicuous  for  industry,  mo- 
rality, and  general  intelligence  *,  but  has  less  professional 
knowledge  than  the  same  class  in  i  irope.  Land  having 
hitherto  been  cheap,  and  not  exhausted  by  cultivation, 
agriculturists  have  not  been  eager,  and  it  has  not  been 
necessary,  to  make  practical  application  of  the  discove- 
ries of  science.  A  change  in  these  respects  having  taken 
place,  especially  in  the  Atlantic  states,  many  now  study 
their  profession  as  a  science ;  and,  as  all  professions  are 
estimater  according  to  the  skill  and  intelligence  required 
to  attain  eminence  in  them,  they  are  raising  their  owa 
nearer  to  that  rank  in  society,  to  which  the  utility  and 
importance  of  agriculture  entitle  it.  More  taste  and 
neatness  are  displayed,  and  the  appearance  of  the  coun- 
try is  visibly'and  rapidly  improving. 

The  COMMERCE  of  the  United  States  has  yielded  a  rich 
harvest  of  wealth.  Various  circumstances  have  directed 
the  attention  of  a  large  portion  of  the  population  to  this 
pursuit,  and  have  contributed  to  give  them  success  in  '  . 
For  two  thousand  miles,  the  republic  bounds  upon  the 
sea,  and  in  that  space  has  many  excellent  harbors.  The 
finest  timber  for  ship  building  is  abundant,  and  easily  pro- 
cured. Near  the  shores  of  the  northern  states,  and  on 
the  adjacent  banks  of  Newfoundland,  are  fishing  stations, 
unsurpassed  by  any  in  the  world.  Fishing  is  consequent- 
ly a  lucrative  employment,  in  proportion  to  the  capital 
invested,  and  attracts  to  it  a  large  number  of  the  natives 
of  those  states.  These,  having  become  accustomed  to  a 
seafaring  life,  and  acquired  the  requisite  qualitications^ 


! 

t  1 


3 


I 


-  ■»  ■.  J' 


S22 


APPENDIX. 


soon  pass  into  larger  vessels,  destined  for  more  distant  and 
perilous  voyages. 

The  state  of  the  world,  for  several  years  subsequent  to 
the  commencement  of  the  French  revolution,  offered  great 
encouragement  to  the  commercial  enterprise  of  the  coun- 
try. While  almost  every  other  power  was  engaged  in 
war,  the  United  States  were  neutral ;  their  vessels  navi- 
gated the  ocean  in  safety,  and  were  employed  to  carry, 
from  port  to  port,  the  commodities  of  the  belligerant  na- 
tions. In  fifteen  years,  beginning  with  1793,  these  favor- 
able circumstances  increased  the  amount  of  American  ton- 
nage from  491,000  to  1,242,000  tons,  and  the  revenue 
arising  from  commerce,  from  4,399,000  to  16,363,000 
of  dollars. 

In  1820,  the  number  of  persons  engaged  in  commerce 
was  72,493.  In  1823,  the  whole  amount  of  exports  was 
g74,799,O00  ;  the  amount  of  imports  was  ^77,579,009, 
the  balance,  in  favor  of  the  United  States,  being  about 
three  millions  of  dollars.  As  the  imports,  however,  are 
always  undervalued  at  the  custom-house,  the  accession  of 
wealth,  whic'ii,  in  that  year,  accrued  to  the  nation  from 
commerce,  was  undoubtedly  greater. 

In  other  years,  the  commerce  of  the  country  has 
flourished  more.  In  1807,  the  exports  amounted  to 
^108,343,000,  and  the  imports  to  ^138,674,000.  The 
principal  causes  of  the  decline,  which  has  taken  place, 
have  been,  the  restoration  of  peace  in  Europe,  and  the  in- 
crease of  the  product  of  domestic  manufactures.  The 
former  has  permitted  all  other  nations  to  become  our  com  • 
petitors ;  the  latter,  has  rendered  it  unnecessary  to  resort 
to  Europe  for  most  of  the  conveniences  end  many  of 
the  luxuries  of  life.  The  depression  will  not  long  conti- 
nue. The  independence  of  the  South  American  republic 
has  opened  a  wide  field  for  the  enterprise  of  our  mer- 
chants, and  given  a  brighter  hue  to  their  future  prospects. 

The  coo  FISHERY  on  the  north  eastern  coast  of  America 
attracted,  at  an  early  period,  the  attention  of  the  world. 
In  1583,  sir  Humphrey  Gilbert  found  thirty  six  vessels 
iishing  in  the  harbor  of  St.  John,  in  Newfoundland.  They 
were  principally  from  Biscay,  in  Spain,  and  Britany  in 
France,  and,  for  many  years,  the  French  retained  almost  a 
monopoly  of  this  source  of  wealth,    In  1 744  they  employ^ 


APPF.XMX. 


S23 


•'J,  in  this  fishery,  414  large  ships,  navigated  by  about 
24,000  seamen,  and  the  quantity  of  tish  taken  amounted  to 
1,149,000  quintals. 

The  war  of  1756,  expelling  the  French  from  the  con- 
tinent, transferred  the  privileges  which  they  had  enjoyed 
to  Great  Britain.  The  English  colonies,  from  their  vici- 
nity,  particapated  largely  in  them.  In  the  year  1670,  six 
hundred  and  sixty  vessels  navigated  by  4,400  seamen, 
were  fitted  out  from  the  ports  of  New-England.  During 
the  revolutionary  war,  the  Americans  were  compelled  to 
relinquish  the  protitable  pursuit;  and  it  required  all  the 
firmness  and  address  of  the  negotiators  of  the  peace  of 
1783,  to-secure  to  these  states  those  .advantages  which 
nature-  seems  to  have  intended  for  them,  and  which  they 
had  enjoyed  as  a  component  part  of  the  British  empire. 
They  were  at  length,  however,  notwithstanding  the  covert 
opposition  of  France,  conceded  by  the  mother  country. 

From  that  period,  till  1807,  the  number  of  vessels  and 
men  employed  in  this  pursuit  continued  to  increase.  An 
estimate  has  been  made  that,  from  1790  to  1810,  twelve 
hundred  vessels  of  all  kinds,  navigated  by  10,600  men  and 
boys,  were,  on  an  average,  yearly  employed  on  the  Banks, 
Bay,  and  Labrador  fisheries;  1,150,000  quintals  of  fish 
were  caught  and  cured;  and  37,000  barrels  of  oil  were 
made.  The  annual  value  of  the  product  of  these  fisheries 
could  not  have  been  less  than  three  and  a  half  millions  of 
dollars.  They  were  interrupted  by  the  last  war  with 
(treat  Britain,  and  have  not  since  regained  their  former 
activity.  As  nurseries  of  seamen,  they  are  important  to 
the  nation ;  and  as  such  have  received  the  particular  at- 
tention and  encouragement  of  government.  A  bounty, 
amounting  in  some  years  to  ^200,000,  is  paid  to  the  owners 
and  crews  of  the  vessels  employed. 

The  vviiAr.K  fisiierv  of  the  United  States  ought  not  to 
be  passed  over  unnoticed.  Its  successful  prosecution  re- 
fjuires  uncommon  hardihood  and  skill.  As  early  as  1690, 
the  inhabitants  of  Nantucket  engaged  in  this^  pursuit,  and 
were  soon  after  joined  by  their  brethern  of  the  town  of 
New- Bedford.  In  a  few  years,  these  monsters  of  the  deep 
were  driven  from  the  American  coasts ;  but  were  pursued 
with  ardor  into  seas  the  moat  remote.  In  1715,  228  tons-; 
in  1771,  27,000  tons;  in  1815,  42,000  tons  of  shipping 


324 


APPENDIX. 


tveic  employed  In  this  business.  The  product  of  this  fish> 
ery  exported  in  1807,  consisting  of  common  and  spermaceti 
oil  and  whale-bone,  was  valued  at  $606,000 ;  in  1823,  at, 
$663,000. 

An  extract  from  the  speech  of  Mr.  Burke  delivered  in 
the  British  parliament,  in  1775,  presents,  in  eloquent  lan- 
guage, a  correct  idea  of  the  importance  of  this  fishery,  and 
of  the  enterprise  and  dexterity  of  those  engaged  in  it.  *'  As 
to  the  wealth  which  the  colonies  have  drawn  from  the  sea 
by  their  fisheries,  you  had  all  that  matter  fully  opened  at 
your  bar.  You  surely  thought  those  acquisitions  of  value ; 
fo^  they  seemed  even  to  excite  your  envy  ;  and  yet  the 
spirit  by  which  that  enterprising  employment  has  been 
exercised,  ought  rather,  in  my  opinion,  to  have  raised  your 
esteem  and  admiration. 

"  And  pray,  sir,  what  in  the  world  is  equal  to  it  ?  Pass 
by  the  other  parts,  and  look  at  the  manner  in  which  the 
people  of  New-England  have  of  late  carried  on  the  whale 
fishery.  While  we  follow  them  among  the  tumbling  moun- 
tains of  ice,  and  behold  them  penetrating  into  the  deepest 
frozen  recesses  of  Hudson's  bay  and  Davis's  straits  ;  whilst 
we  are  looking  for  them  beneath  the  arctic  circle,  we 
he.ir  that  they  have  pierced  into  the  opposite  region  of 
polar  cold ;  that  they  are  at  the  Antipodes,  and  engaged 
imder  the  frozen  serpent  of  the  south.  Falkland  Island, 
which  seemed  too  remote  and  romantic  an  object  for  the 
grasp  of  national  ambition,  is  but  a  stage  and  resting  place 
in  the  progress  of  their  victorious  industry. 

♦*  Nor  is  the  equinoctial  heat  more  discouraging  to  them 
than  the  accumulated  winter  of  both  poles.  We  know  that, 
while  some  of  them  draw  the  line  and  strike  the  harpoon 
on  the  coasts  of  Africa,  others  run  tlie  longitude  and  pur- 
sue the  gigantic  game  along  the  coast  of  Brazil.  No  sea 
but  what  is  vexed  by  their  fisheries.  No  climate  that  is 
not  witness  to  their  toils.  Neither  the  perseverance  of 
Holland,  nor  the  activity  of  France,  nor  the  dexterous  and 
firm  sagacity  of  English  enterprise,  ever  carried  this  most: 
perilous  mode  of  hardy  industry  to  the  extent  to  which  it 
has  been  pushed  by  this  recent  people  ;  a  people  who  are 
still,  as  it  were,  but  in  the  gristle  and  not  yet  hardened  into 
the  bone  of  manhood. 

"  When  I  contemplate  these  things  j  when  I  know  that 


APPENDIXs 


32d 


vhe  colonies  owe  little  or  nothing  to  any  care  of  ours,  and 
tliat  they  are  not  squeezed  into  this  happy  form  by  the 
constraints  of  watchful  and  suspicious  government,  but  that, 
through  a  wise  and  salutary  neglect,  a  generous  nature  has 
been  suffered  to  take  its  own  way  to  perfection  ;  when  I 
reflect  upon  these  effects,  when  I  see  how  profitable  they 
have  been  to  us,  1  feel  al'  ^he  pride  of  power  sink,  and 
all  presumption  in  the  wisdom  of  human  contrivances  melt 
and  die  away  within  me.  My  rigor  relents.  I  pardon 
something  to  the  spirit  of  liberty." 

Manufactures. — While  the  United  States  were  colo- 
nies, the  mother  country  endeavored  to  prevent  the  iar 
habitants  from  manufacturing  any  article  whatever,  even 
for  their  own  use.  The  erection  of  slitting-mills  was  pro- 
hibited, and  hatters  were  forbidden  to  take  any  apprentice 
for  less  than  seven  years,  or  to  employ  more  than  two  at  a 
time.  In  addition  to  these  and  other  legislative  enact- 
ments, the  wages  of  labor  were  high,  and,  neither  skill  nor 
surplus  capital  existed  in  the  country.  But  little  attention 
was  of  course  given  to  manufactures,  and  the  inhabitants 
received  their  supplies  from  the  artizans  of  England. 

Some  attempts  were  indeed  m»de,  a  few  years  previous 
to  the  commencement  of  the  revolutionary  war,  to  intro* 
duce  manufactures.  Such  was  in  part  the  intention  of  the 
non-importation  agreements ;  and  some  of  the  colonial 
legislatures,  to  encourage  the  production  of  wool,  and  the 
mnnufiicture  of  cloths,  exempted  sheep  from  taxation. 
But,  at  no  time,  previous  to  the  adoption  of  the  constitu- 
tion, did  manufacturers  exist  in  the  country  in  sufficient 
number  to  be  considered  a  class  of  the  population. 

And  indeed  it  was  not  until  the  imposition  of  the  embar- 
go, in  1807,  that  any  considerable  impulse  was  given  to 
this  branch  of  industry.  Prevented  by  this  interruption  of 
commerce,  from  exchanging  their  products  for  foreign  ar- 
ticles, the  inhabitants  then  attempted  to  fabricate  them  for 
themselves.  From  the  want  of  experience  and  skill,  many 
of  the  first  attempts  were  unsuccessful ;  but  in  a  very  short 
time,  these  deficiencies  were  supplied,  and,  at  the  close 
of  the  war,  the  amount  of  the  products  of  manufactures 
was  astonishingly  great.  Forming  an  estimate  trom  the 
amount  in  1810,  which  was  near  170  millioos^  it  could  not 

28  i^ 


326 


APPGNDIX. 


have  been  less,  for  1814,  than  two  hundred  millions  oi 
dollars. 

Peace,  by  affording  to  foreignera  an  opportunity  of  in* 
troducing  the  goods  which  had  accumulated  in  their  ware- 
houses, checked,  for  a  few  years,  the  impulse  which  the 
restrictive  measures  and  the  war  had  given.  In  each  of 
the  three  years  following  1815,  the  value  of  articles  manu* 
factured  was  probably  less  than  in  any  one  of  the  preced- 
ing six  years.  From  the  year  1818,  the  amount  has  gra- 
dually increased,  and  in  1821  and  1822,  it  was  probably 
greater  than  it  had  ever  before  been.  It  will  hereafter 
continue  to  increase,  and  the  navigation  of  the  country 
will  be  employed,  not  so  much  in  bringing  home  the  ma- 
nufactures of  other  nations,  as  in  carrying  abroad  those  of 
the  United  States.  In  this  way,  domestic  manufactures  will 
repay  to  commerce  the  capital  they  have  lately  drawn  from 
it. 

The  states  in  which  the  greatest  attention  is  devoted  to 
this  branch  of  industry,  are  Rhode-Island,  Pennsylvania, 
Massachusetts,  New-Hampshire,  and  Connecticut.  The 
principal  manufactures  are  those  of  cotton  and  of  woollen 
cloths  of  iron,  and  of  leather.  In  1820,  the  number  of  in- 
habitants engaged  in  manufactures  was  349,506. 

The  question,  whether  agriculture,  commerce,  or  manu- 
factures is  most  productive  of  national  wealth,  and  to  which 
the  government  ought,  in  preference,  to  extend  its  pro- 
tection and  encouragement,  has  lately  been  warmly  dis- 
cussed by  the  politicians  and  writers  on  political  economy, 
in  America,  and  in  Europe.  Each  interest  has  its  advocates. 
The  decision  of  the  impartial  statesman  would  probably  be, 
that  neither  should  be  encouraged  to  the  neglect  of  the 
others  ;  that  if  either  is,  in  any  degree,  to  be  prefered,  it 
is  that  which  is,  at  the  time,  the  most  depressed  ;  or  that 
which  supplies  most  of  the  means  of  national  defence,  and 
most  of  the  necessaries  and  conveniences  of  life. 

Debt,  Revenue,  and  Expenditures. — When,  in  1790, 
the  public  debt  was  Hrst  funded,  it  amounted  to  about 
75,000,000  of  dollars.  In  1803,  by  the  purchase  of  Loui- 
siana, it  was  augmented  to  about  86,500,000.  In  the  eight 
years  which  followed,  a  large  amount  was  paid,  leaving 
due,  in  1812,  but  httle  more  than  45,000,000.    To  defray 


»*»• 


APPENDIX. 


327 


fhe  expenses  of  the  war,  which  was  declared  in  that  year, 
tnore  than  80,000,000  of  new  debt  was  contracted.  A  large 
portion  has  since  been  paid,  and,  on  the  first  day  of  Janu- 
ary, 1823,  the  amount  of  it  was  90,865,877  dollars. 

The  present  revenue  of  the  republic  is  derived  princi- 
pally from  commerce,  and  from  the  sale  of  public  lands.  In 
1822,  there  accrued  from  the  former  source,  the  sum  of 
20,500,775  dollars  ;  from  the  latter  source,  1,803,581  ;  and 
from  other  sources,  839,084.  The  amount,  however, 
which  was  actually  received,  during  the  year,  was  but 
20,232,427.  < 

The  expenditures,  during  the  same  year,  were  as  fol- 
lows :  Civil,  diplomatic,  and  miscellaneous,  1,967,996; 
for  the  pay  and  support  of  the  army,  the  construction  of 
forts,  the  supply  of  arms,  the  payment  of  pensions,  and  the 
various  expenses  of  the  Indian  department,  5,635,188  ; 
for  the  support  and  increase  of  the  navy,  2,224,468  ;  for 
the  payment  of  the  interest,  and  for  the  redemption  of  that 
portion  of  the  principal  of  the  debt  which  became  due 
within  the  year,  7,848,949  ;  amounting  in  the  whole  to 
17,676,591,  and  leaving  an  excess  of  revenue  over  expen- 
diture of  2,555,836  dollars. 

Education. — In  the  kingdoms  of  Europe,  large  sums 
have  been  appropriated,  by  the  government,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  education.  Nearly  all,  however,  has  been  ex- 
pended in  founding  or  endowing  universities.  To  these 
the  sons  of  the  nobles  and  the  rich  could  alone  gain  ac- 
cess ;  and  the  intention  and  effect  of  the  expenditure  has 
always  been,  to  produce  erudite  scholars,  and  able  ora- 
tors, and  to  perpetuate  and  widen  the  separation  between 
ihe  higher  and  the  lower  classes  of  the  population. 

The  people  of  the  United  States  have  had  a  different 
object  in  view^  and  one  more  congenial  with  thm  politi- 
cal institutions.  Desirous  that  none  should  be  ignorant, 
their  first  and  principal  care  has  been,  to  impart  the  ad- 
vantages of  instruction  to  the  whole  mass  of  the  popu- 
lation. With  this  view,  the  legislatures  of  many  of  the 
fitates  have  ordained  that  schools,  for  the  education  of  all 
the  youth  in  reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic,  shall  be  kept, 
and  supported  by  a  public  and  general  tax. 

This  system  was  adopted  in  Massachusetts  as  early  as 
IG}7,    A  law  was  then  passed,  by  that  colony,  providing 


328 


APPENDIX. 


that  a  school  should  be  kept  in  every  totvnship  havins; 
fifty  householders,  in  which  all  the  children,  who  might 
resort  to  it,  should  be  taught  to  read  and  write.  An  the 
number  of  inhabitants  increased,  the  townships  were  di* 
vided  into  small  districts,  and  a  school  supported  in  each. 
Thus,  the  means  of  education  were  provided,  at  the  pub- 
lic expense,  and  the  opportunity  of  acquiring  it  placed 
within  the  power  of  all. 

Immedintely  after  their  first  settlement,  the  same  sysvcm 
was  adopted  by  the  other  colonies  of  New-England  ;  and 
it  has,  by  all  of  them,  been  preserved  and  cherished  to 
the  present  time.  Connecticut,  having  a  large  tract  ot 
land  in  Ohio,  which  was  sold  for  j|^  1,200,000,  appropri- 
ated the  whole  sum  to  the  support  of  common  or  prima- 
ry  schools.  The  sum  has  since  been  augmented  to 
j[  1,700,000,  and  the  interest  is  annually  distributed  to  the 
several  school  districts,  according  to  the  number  of  scho« 
lars  taught  in  each.  No  district,  however,  is  entitled  to 
any  aid  from  this  fuhd  unless  it  had,  in  the  preceding  year« 
expended,  for  the  same  purpose,  a  certain  amount  derived 
from  its  own  resources. 

The  effect  of  this  system  has  been,  to  render  the  great 
body  of  the  people  of  these  states  the  most  enlightened  in 
the  world.  All  can  read  and  write,  and  rarely  can  one 
be  found  not  qualified,  by  education,  to  transact  the  com- 
mon concerns  of  life.  To  educate  his  children  j  is  the  first 
object,  and  the  chief  glory  of  the  parent ;  their  ignorance 
is  to  him  and  to  them  disgraceful.  In  these  schools,  the 
human  mind  receives  its  first  impulse  in  the  career  of 
learning ;  an  impulse  which  carries  many  forward  to  high 
stations  of  honor  and  of  usefulness. 

The  great  state  of  New- York,  distinguished  for  magni- 
ficent pbjects  of  internal  improvement,  and  for  liberal 
patronage  of  literature  and  the  arts,  has  lately  adopted  a 
system  nearly  similar  to  that  of  Connecticut.  From  vari- 
ous sources,  it  has  accumulated  a  fund,  the  income  of  which 
is  to  be  applied  annually  to  the  support  of  common  schools. 
This  fund,  in  1820,  amounted  to  <|  1,2 15,000.  Since  that 
year,  all  the  unsold  and  unappropriated  lands,  which, 
when  disposed  of,  will  probably  produce  two  or  three 
millions  more,  have  been  permanently  devoted  to  the  same 
object.     The  annual  interest  of  this  fund  is  distribulett 


APPENDIX. 


329 


(according  to  populotion,  among  the  levernl  townsliips,  on 
their  raising,  for  the  same  purpose,  an  Rdditionai  sum 
equal  to  that  which  they  receive  from  the  state.  In  1821, 
three  hundred  and  thirty-three  thousand  children  were 
taught,  in  the  several  district  schools ;  a  number  nearly  equal 
to  thai  of  all  the  children  in  the  state  between  five  and  tifteen 
years  of  age.     In  1823,  the  number  taught  was  400,000. 

Virginia  has  also  a  literary  fund,  the  interest  of  a  part 
of  wh'^^h  is  appropriated  lor  the  support  of  common 
fjcho  .  "  liis  fund  is  of  recent  origin,  and  its  income  if; 
yet  s.uall.  The  advantages  of  education  are,  however,  so 
highly  appreciated  in  that  state,  by  its  enlightened  citi- 
zens, that  most  of  the  rising  generation  arc  instructed 
in  private  schools^,  or  by  domestic  teachers.  The  same 
remark  will  apply  to  most  of  the  middle  and  southern 
states ;  yet,  in  these,  too  many  of  the  children  of  the 
poor  will  remain  in  ignorance  until  effectual  provision  is 
made,  by  the  respective  governments,  for  the  instruction 
of  all. 

The  national  government  has  not  been  unmindful  of  the 
importance  of  univc  rsal  education.  Before  the  adoption  of 
the  constitution,  it  acquired,  by  the  cession  of  the  states 
claiming  it,  the  property  of  nearly  all  the  unappropriated 
land  within  the  national  boundaries.  In  offering  this  land 
for  sale,  it  has  reserved  in  every  township,  one  section, 
comprising  640  acres,  for  the  use  of  schools.  As  the  popula- 
tion of  the  new  states  becomes  more  dense,  these  lands  will 
constitute  a  valuable  and  productive  fund,  and  the  sys- 
tem of  free  schools,  thus  planted  in  the  western,  will  there 
produce  the  8<\ine  benefits  as  in  the  eastern  portion  of  the 
union. 

Schools  of  a  higher  order,  to  which  the  name  of  acade- 
mies has  been  applied,  are  numerous  in  all  the  states, 
especially  in  those  of  New-England.  Many  are  incorpo- 
rated, and  some  possess  considerable  funds.  That  at 
Exeter,  in  New-Hampshire,  holds  the  highest  rank ;  its 
funds  amount  to  <{|80,000 ;  it  has  a  library  containing  700 
volumes,  and  a  handsome  philosophical  apparatus.  In  these 
schools  are  taught  English  grammar,  composition,  history, 
geography,  mathematics,  the  Latin  and  Greek  languages. 
Many  young  men  resort  to  them  to  acquire  an  education 
euperior  to  that  which  can  be  obtained  at  the  primary 

28* 


330 


APPENDIX. 


schools,  and  many  to  prepare  themselves  to  enter  sotad 
college  or  university.  They  are  principally  taught  by 
those,  who  have  just  received  a  degree  in  the  arts,  and 
who  are  unable,  from  the  want  of  property,  to  engage  im- 
mediately  in  the  study  of  the  professions,  which  they  in- 
tend to  pursue. 

Of  colleges  and  universities  there  is  also  a  large  num- 
ber in  the  United  States.  The  oldest  and  first  in  rank  is 
Harvard  College,  at  Cambridge,  Massachusetts.  It  was 
established  in  1738,  only  eighteen  years  after  the  first  set- 
tlement of  Plymouth.  It  had  then  a  fund  of  about  j^5,000, 
nearly  two  thirds  of  which  was  a  donation  from  the  Rev. 
John  Harvard,  of  Charlestown.  The  first  degrees  were 
conferred  upon  nine  young  gentlemen,  in  1C42.  It  has 
since  received  many  and  large  additions  to  its  funds,  prin- 
cipally donations  from  individuals  ;  and,  from  the  exer- 
tions of  its  learned  presidents  and  professors,  has,  with 
short  intermissions,  been  constantly  advancing  in  reputa- 
tion, and  increasing  in  usefulness.  The  library  contains 
about  twenty*five  thousand  volumes.  In  1824,  the  faculty 
consisted  of  a  president,  and  twenty  professors;  the  num- 
ber of  students  was  222,  and  of  the  resident  graduates  146. 

Yale  College  was  founded  in  1700,  and  incorporated  in 
1701.  It  was  first  established  at  Say  brook  ;  but,  in  1716, 
was  removed  to  New-Haven,  in  Connecticut.  Elihu  Yale, 
a  merchant  in  London,  having  made  to  it  a  donation  of  more 
than  four  thousand  dollars,  its  name  was,  in  1718,  changed 
from  the  Collegiate  School,  to  Yale  College.  Afterwards 
bishop  Berkeley,  the  celebrated  metaphysician,  who  had 
resided  two  years  in  America,  presented  to  it  a  collection  of 
books,  consisting  of  nearly  one  thousand  volumes  ;  and  a 
farm  in  Newport,  the  annual  rent  of  which,  on  a  long  lease» 
is  two  hundred  and  forty  bushels  of  wheat.  From  the  state, 
and  from  other  sources,  it  has  received  many  liberal  dona> 
tions.  Its  libraries  contain  about  nine  thousand  volumes. 
In  1824,  the  faculty  consisted  of  a  president,  and  eleven 
professors,  and  the  number  of  its  students  was  349. 

Id  addition  to  these,  there  are  in  the  union,  about  fifty 
colleges  and  universities  authorized  to  confer  degrees.  In 
all  of  these  are  taught,  the  English,  Latin,  and  Greek  lan- 
guages, rhetoric,  mathematics,  natural  philosophy,  logic, 
cbymistry,  astronomy^  htstQxy,  and  geography.     In  some 


v--^ 


APPENDIX. 


331 


of  them  are  also  the  Hebrew,  oriental,  and  modern  Euro^ 
pean  languages,  anatomy,  surgery,  medicine,  botany,  polite 
literature,  divinity,  ethics,  natural  and  municipal  law,  po- 
litics, and  elocution. 

Literature. — The  remark  has  often  been  made  that  the 
United  States  have  produced  no  eminent  scholars  ;  and  that 
the  national  character  has  not  been  illustrated  by  literary 
and  scientific  performances  of  distinguished  merit.  This 
remark  is  doubtless  just.  Compared  with  those  of  the  old 
world,  their  writers  have  not  exhibited  the  same  labordd 
polish  of  style,  nor  their  men  of  science  the  same  per- 
severance <ind  extent  of  investigation.  Their  historians 
are  not  equal  to  Hume  or  Robertson  ;  their  poets  to  Mil- 
ton or  Pope  ;  their  chemists  to  Lavoisier  or  Davy  ;  nor 
their  metaphysicians  to  Locke,  Berkely,  or  Reid. 

But  this  fact  implies  no  deficiency  of  mental  vigor  in 
the  people.  The  mind  of  the  nation  has  received,  from 
circumstances,  a  different  direction.  Those  who  are  in- 
dued with  extraordinary  talent,  whatever  may  have  been 
their  original  propensities,  have  been  called  from  the  clo- 
set to  labor  in  the  legislative  hall,  or  the  cabinet;  to  vindi- 
cate the  cause  or  defend  the  interest  of  their  country 
abroad  ;  to  dispense  justice  from  the  bench,  or  to  sup- 
port and  defend,  at  the  bar,  the  claims  and  the  rights  of 
their  fellow  citizens. 

To  perform  these  duties,  certainly  not  less  honorable 
nor  less  difficult  than  any  thing  which  the  mere  scholar 
can  perform,  a  greater  variety  of  talents,  and  greater  in- 
tellectual labor,  have  been  required  in  this  than  in  any 
other  country.  Here,  in  comparatively  a  short  period, 
the  foundations  have  been  laid,  and  the  superstructures 
erected,  of  new  political  institutions.  Many  governments 
have  been  established  over  communities  differing  from 
each  other,  and  from  those  of  Europe  ;  and  over  these  a 
paramount  government,  with  extensive  and  important 
powers.  For  each  of  these  communities,  a  new  system 
of  law  has  been  required,  and  each  government  has  a  se- 
parate executive,  legislative,  and  judicial  department. 
The  population  of  no  country  has  been  called  upon  to  sup- 
ply such  a  number  of  legislators,  of  judges,  and  of  lawyers ; 
nor,  it  may  be  added,  ofinstructers  of  youth.  And,  while 
their  number  accounts  for  the  comparative  neglect  of  lite- 
rature and  the  fine  arts,  the  talents  they  have  displayed 


332 


APPENDIX. 


sufficiently  vindicate  the  republic  from  the  reproach   of 
intellectual  inferiority. 

But  not  in  the^e  modes  alone  have  the  people  of  these 
states  proved,  that  in  original  powers  of  mind  they  may 
assert  an  equality,  at  least,  with  those  of  any  other  na- 
tion. None  has  made  more  important  discoveries  in  the 
useful  arts.  England  boasts  of  her  Arkwright,  who  in- 
vented  the  spinning  machine  ;  of  her  Worcester,  New- 
comm,  and  Watt,  by  whose  ingenuity  and  labors  the  pow- 
ers of  steam  were  substituted  for  the  uncertain  aid  of  wind 
and  water  in  moving  the  machinery  of  manufactories. 

America  may  boast  of  her  Godfrey,  whose  quadrant  has 
been  almost  as  serviceable,  as  the  compass,  to  navigation  ; 
of  her  Franklin,  who  has  made  our  dwellings  comfortable 
within,  and  protected  them  from  the  lightning  of  heaven  ; 
of  her  Whitney,  whose  cotton  gin  has  added  to  the  annual 
product  of  that  article  at  least  one  hundred  millions  of 
pounds ;  of  her  Whittemore,  the  inventor  of  the  wonder- 
ful machine  for  making  cards ;  of  her  Perkins,  the  in- 
ventor of  the  nnii  machine  ;  ^nd  of  her  Fulton,  who  has 
rendered  the  power  of  steam  subservient  to  the  purposes 
of  navigation. 

But  the  United  States  have  produced  authors  who  would 
do  honor  even  to  any  other  nation.  The  style  of  Franklin 
is  perspicuous  and  pure ;  and  few  men  of  any  age  or  coun- 
try have  contributed  more  by  their  writings,  to  enlighten 
and  to  benefit  mankind.  The  histories  of  Marshall,  Ram- 
say, Belknap,  Williams,  and  the  Annals  of  Holmes,  are 
works  of  sterling  merit,  interesting,  and  instructive.  Among 
theological  writers,  Edwards,  Hopkins,  Dwight,  Lathrop, 
Davies,  Kollock,  and  Buckminster,  are  deservedly  emi- 
nent.    And  as  a  novelist.  Brown,  has  few  equals. 

Many  of  the  political  writers  of  this  country  have  dis- 
played great  vigor  of  thought,  and  force  of  expression. 
The  pamphlets  and  state  papers  to  which  the  revolutiona- 
ry struggle  gave  existence ;  the  numbers  of  the  Federalist ; 
the  official  letters  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  as  secretary  of  state, 
and  of  the  American  ministers  at  Ghent,  not  only  display 
intellectual  powers,  but  possess  literary  merit,  of  the 
highest  order.  The  best  writers  of  this  republic  have  not 
been  the  authors  of  books. 


APENDIX. 


33? 


oC 


To  the  fine  arts  still  less  attention  has  been  paid  than  to 
literature ;  that  the  neglect  is  to  be  attributed  rather  to 
the  deficiency  of  patronage  than  to  the  want  of  capacity  to 
excel.  Benjamin  West,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  pre- 
sided for  many  years  over  the  Royal  Society,  comprising 
the  most  eminent  painters  of  Great  Britain.  In  portrait- 
painting,  Copley  and  Stuart  have  acquired  a  high  reputa- 
tion ;  and  in  historical  painting,  Trumbull  excels.  The 
United  States  claim  only  the  honor  of  their  birth ;  Eng- 
land and  Italy  that  of  patronizing  and  instructing  them.    ^^ 

Religion. — The  consequences  resulting  from  the  en- 
joyment of  religious  liberty  have  been  highly  favorable. 
Free  discussion  has  enlightened  the  ignorant,  disarmed 
superstition «pf  its  dreadful  powers,  and  consigned  to  ob- 
livion many  erroneous  and  fantastic  creeds.  Religious 
oppression,  and  the  vindictive  feelings  it  arouses,  are  hardly 
known.  Catholics  and  Protestants  live  together  in  har- 
mony ;  and  Protestants  who  disagree,  employ,  in  defend- 
ing their  own  doctrines,  and  in  assailing  those  of  their  an- 
tagonists, the  weapons  only  of  reason  and  eloquence. 

Ir  the  New-£ngland  states,  the  independents  or  con- 
gr 


?0r 


ooalists  constitute  the  most  numerous  denomination , 
m  '  "liddle  states,  the  presbyterians  ;  and  in  the  south- 
ern, the  methodists.  Baptists,  episcopalians,  and  Roman 
catholics,  are  found  in  all  the  states  ;  but  in  Maryland  and 
Louisiana,  the  catholics  are  more  numerous  than  else- 
where. Each  of  these  sects  has  one  or  more  seminaries 
of  learning,  in  which  its  peculiar  doctrines  are  taught,  and 
young  men  are  educated  for  the  ministry.  Many  other 
sects  exist,  but  reason,  less  tolerant  than  the  laws,  is  gra- 
dually diminishing  the  number. 

Character  and  Manners. — Foreigners  have  asserted 
that  the  Americans  possess  no  national  character.  If  at 
any  period  this  assertion  has  been  true,  it  was  then  no  re- 
proach. In  its  youth,  a  nation  can  have  no  established 
character.  The  inhabitants  of  this  republic,  coming  from 
every  quarter  of  the  world,  speaking  many  different  lan- 
guages, dispersed  over  a  vast  extent  of  territory,  could  not 
immediately  assimilate  and  exhibit  those  few  prominent 
traits,  which  nations  as  well  as  individuals,  in  their  matu- 
rity, display. 


* 


354 


.^■^■. 


But  the  germ  of  a  national  character  has  always  existed. 
It  has  grown  with  our  growth,  and  is  gradually  throwing 
into  the  shade  those  unfavorable  and  discordant  traits, 
which  haye  disfigured  and  partly  concealed  it  from  view. 
Who,  that  has  read  the  history  of  these  states,  has  not  per- 
ceived, in  the  inhabitants,  an  energy  of  purpose  capable  of 
surmounting  all  obstacles ;  a  spirit  of  enterprise,  that 
leaves  nothing  useful  unattempted ;  a  proud  sense  of  per- 
sonal dignity  and  independence  ;  a  decided  preference  of 
utility  before  show  ;  and  a  love  of  knowledge  th<tt  has  dis- 
pelled ignorance  from  the  land  ?  They  may  have  been  too 
much  devoted  to  the  pursuit  of  gain  ;  too  much  addicted 
to  habits  of  intemperance ;  too  much  inflated  with  national 
vanity ;  bigoted  and  superstitious :  but  theeS  traits  are 
now  less  apparent ;  they  are  constantly  melting  away,  and 
those  more  noble  appearing  in  bolder  relief. 

They  whose  wealth  or  talents  place  them  in  the  first 
rank  in  society,  are,  in  their  manners,  free  from  awkward- 
ness, formality,  haughtiness,  and  ostentation  ;  but  they  do 
not  display  the  elegance  or  refinement  of  the  same  class  in 
Europe.  The  mass  of  the  people  are  serious,  shrewd, 
inquisitive,  manly,  and  generally  respectful ;  but  they 
know  little,  and  practise  less,  of  the  ceremonies  of  formal 
politeness.  To  foreigners,  accustomed  to  the  servility  of 
the  lower  classes  in  Europe,  they  doubtless  often  appear 
rough  and  uncourtly ;  and  many  fashionable  tourists  may 
have  had  their  feelings  needlessly  wounded,  and  their  delica- 
cy shocked ;  but  when  respectfully  treated,  they  display  na~ 
tive  politeness,  and  generosity  of  sentiment.  Time  will 
remove  the  grosser  defects ;  but  may  it  never,  by  polish- 
ing too  deeply,  impair  that  strength  of  character,  which 
is  essential  to  the  permanence  of  our  republican  instil 
tutions,      w 


A  review  of  the  rapid  progress  of  the  United  States  in 
population,  wealth,  and  power;  a  survey  of  their  present 
physical  and  moral  condition;  and  a  comparison  of  them^ 
in  either  respect,  with  other  nations,  cannot  fail  to  give 
to  an  Anierican  citizen  an  elevated  conception  of  his  own 
country,  and  to  justify  the  loftiest  apticipaliohs  of  the  fu, 
ture. 


^%- 


append:*. 


833 


tn  a  period  of  thirty  years,  ending  with  1820,  the  population 
of  the  republic  increased  from  3,893,835,  to  9,642,150, 
it  consequently  doubles  in  less  than  twenty-five  years.  In 
Great  Britain,  the  population  does  not  double  in  less  than 
eighty  years  ;  and  in  that  country  the  increase  is  nearly,  if 
not  quite,  as  rapid  as  in  any  other  country  in  Europe. 

The  augmentation  of  wealth  and  power  cannot  be 
so  easily  ascertained.  It  is  the  opinion  of  many,  well 
qualified  to  judge,  that  it  has  been  still  more  rapid ;  and 
when  the  increase  of  our  exports,  which  in  the  same 
period  advanced  from  nineteen  to  sixty-live  millions ;  when 
the  growth  of  our  cities  and  villages  ;  the  increase  of  our 
manufacturing  establishments,  of  our  national  and  mercan- 
tile navy,  of  our  fortifications  and  other  means  of  defence  -, 
the  extent  of  our  internal  improvements  ;  and,  beyond  all, 
the  extensive  territories  reclaimed  from  a  state  of  nature 
and  made  productive  and  valuable,  are  adverted  to,  that 
opinion  will  not  appear  unfounded  nor  extravagant. 

Although  now  inferior  to  the  principal  nations  of  the 
()1d  world,  yet  but  a  short  period  will  elapse  before  the 
United  States,  should  their  progress  hereafter  be  the  same 
that  it  has  been,  will  overtake  and  pass  them.  Their 
great  natural  advantages  will  continue  to  urge  them  for- 
ward. Extensive  tracts  of  fertile  land  yet  remain  vacant 
of  inhabitants  ;  the  portions  already  settled  are  capable  of 
supporting  a  much  more  numerous  population  ;  new  roads 
and  new  canals  will  give  greater  activity  to  internal  com- 
merce, and  open  new  fields  to  the  untiring  industry  and  en- 
terprise of  man  ;  and  a  small  part  only  being  required  by 
the  government,  nearly  the  whole  annual  income  will  be 
added  to  the  general  capital,  augmenting  it  in  a  compound 
ratio. 

That  these  splendid  anticipations  are  not  the  suggestions 
of  national  vanity,  the  history  of  the  past  sufficiently  proves. 
Yet  their  fulfilment  depends  in  a  great  degree,  upon  the 
future  conduct  of  the  people  themselves ;  upon  their  adher- 
ence to  the  principles  of  their  fathers ;  upon  the  preserva- 
tion of  free  political  institutions,  of  industrious,  frugal,  and 
moral  habits;  and,  above  all,  upon  the  universal  diffusion 
of  knowledge. 

This  truth  should  sink  deep  into  the  hearts  of  the  old 
{md  the  young.     The  citizens  of  this  republic  should  Dever 


336 


APPENDIX. 


"   1 


forget  the  awful  responsibilities  resting  upon  them.  They 
constitute  the  oldest  nation  on  this  western  hemisphere, 
the  first  on  the  list  of  existing  republics.  They  stand  for- 
ward, the  object  of  hatred  to  some,  of  admiration  to  many, 
of  wonder  to  all ;  and  an  impressive  example  to  the  people 
of  every  country.  To  them  is  committed  an  experiment, 
successful  hitherto,  the  final  result  of  which  must  have  a 
powerful  influence  upon  the  destiny  of  mankind  ;  if  fa- 
vorable and  happy,  the  whole  civilized  world  will  be 
free  ;  if  adverse,  despotism  and  darkness  will  again  over- 
sh7«dow  it.  May  they  ever  be  sensible  of  the  vast  import- 
ance of  their  example.  May  they  never  betray  their  sacred 
trust. 


^ 


# 


^ 


THE    EXD. 


% 


■^ 


€ 


r 


J 


•#. 


..  I' 


They 
sphere, 
and  for- 
7  many, 

people 
ritnent, 

have  a 
if  fa- 
will  be 
n  over- 
import- 
•  sacred 


\i. 


!.; 


f^  ^ 


S&ILO&S. 


Fage  Line 

114  3  for  Tamacraw,  read  Yainacraw. 

114  10  for  fill,  read  fell. 

120  14  for  Dyonville,  read  Dijonville. 

121  3  for  reg-     ted,  r-ad  rejected. 

133  5  from  bot.oin         place,  read  plan. 

133  12  erase  that. 

144  23  insert  <' opposed,   between  stand  and  against. 

145  10  erase  what. 

148  8  from  bottom,  insert  a7t<2  before  **  gentlemen." 

164  8  for  warhoop,  read  warwhoop. 

167  10  for  ca,  read  cause. 

177  4  for  emigrating,  read  emerging. 

180  24  for  duties,  read  qualities. 

207  11  for  withdrew,  read  withhold. 

211  9  for  Boylers,  read  Baylors. 

232  4  from  bottom,  for  Granley,  read  Granby. 

236  4  place  a  period  after  New- York. 

236  2  from  bottom,  for  advanced,  read  begun. 

245  21  for  number,  read  members. 

279  14  for  19th,  read  18th. 

285  11  erasf  other. 

302  17  for  know,  read  now. 

307  10  from  bottom,  forbrethern,  read  brethren. 

321  8  insert  at  the  beginning  of  the  line,  "  flour  to  the  value 

of  5  4,962,000;" 

322  14  omit  of. 

323  7  for  1670,  read  1760. 

323  22  should  read  « in  the  bank,  bay,  &^. ' 

330  10  for  1738,  read  1638. 

331  1  should  read  <<  are  also  taught  the  Hebrew,  &c." 
333  2  for  that,  read  but. 


